Forever's Going to Start Tonight
by Tori of Lorien
Summary: It should have been one of the happiest moments of her life.  But for Mickie, not knowing the father of her child is terrifying.  Rather it be a night of passion, a mistake, or a horror from her past, she knows her life will never be the same.
1. Chapter 1

**Forever's Going to Start Tonight**

**Summary**: "I can't do this..." "Of course you can. I'll be right there with you." It should have been one of the happiest moments of her life. But for Mickie, not knowing the father of her child is terrifying. Rather it be a night of passion, a mistake, or a horror from her past, she knows her life will never be the same.

**Characters**: Mickie James, John Morrison, Chris Jericho, Shane McMahon

**Pairings**: JoMo/Mickie/?

**Rating**: T

**Genre**: Romance/Angst

**Song**: "Total Eclipse of the Heart," Bonnie Tyler

******Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. Nor do I own any of the song lyrics used.

**Author's note**: Challenge fic for **devin** that I decided to take up. Hope you enjoy! Just no flames please.

_Chapter 1_

A quiet groan escaped from her throat as her eyes slowly fluttered open, but she immediately closed them again when the intense lights on the ceiling above nearly blinded her. She turned her head to the side to escape from them more, feeling the soft, fluffy pillow beneath her as she wondered where she was. The last thing she remembered was lying on the floor of her hotel room, weakly reaching for her cell phone sitting on the bed and beginning to dial his number before she remembered nothing at all.

"Mickie?"

At the quiet, almost hesitant sound of her name, Mickie James opened her eyes again and saw that he was sitting in a chair next to her bed, hands folded with his arms resting on his knees as he looked back at her. There were dark rings under his eyes, evidence of lack of sleep. But even with those, he still looked perfect to her. "Where... am I?" she asked quietly, her voice thick from not using it for some time, as she started to push herself up into a sitting position. "What am I doing here?"

"You should stay down," the man advised, reaching forward and placing his hand on her shoulder to stop her. A small half-smile graced his handsome features when Mickie leaned back against the pillow. "You're in the hospital. Don't you remember what happened?"

Mickie moved her gaze from his concerned one, looking down at the white hospital wristband hanging loosely on her right hand. "How long have I been out?" she wondered quietly.

"Only a couple days," the man told her. "But with everything that's happened..."

"Yeah," Mickie muttered with a sigh, wringing her hands tightly together. "I remember..."

* * *

Mickie James sighed as she left the locker room, situating her gym bag strap so it was resting comfortably on her shoulder. Her footsteps bounced off the walls of the empty hallway as she made her way to the parking lot and her waiting boyfriend. Being exhausted after the show, she was just looking forward to spending a quiet night in their hotel room.

Then, Mickie paused by the door when her phone vibrated from her pocket, seeing she had a text message. _Hey, babe, where r u?_

A small smile appeared on Mickie's face when she saw it was from her boyfriend, and she quickly sent an answer back. _Was talking to Maria in the locker room. About to leave the arena. See u by the car in a min._

She put the phone back in her pocket before starting to push open the door, but she was stopped by a hand wrapping around her wrist from behind. Mickie glanced over her shoulder, inwardly rolling her eyes when she saw Shane McMahon. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Where are you running off to so fast, sweetheart?" Shane said with an almost twisted smirk on his face, pulling her back from the door. "What happened to, you know... our time?" He then gave her a quick wink.

Mickie pulled her arm from his grasp. "Look, I thought I told you I was done with that," she replied. "It's just wrong. You're married, and I've been dating John for a while now... It'll be a year next week. I admit, it was sorta fun before I got with him, but I can't do that anymore."

But Shane gave her the smile that had once melted her heart as he reached forward and took her hand. "Come on, Mickie, we used to have so much fun," he tried to persuade her. "Those nights spent together..."

She remembered those nights well, but Mickie shook her head, determined to keep her resolve. "No, Shane, I can't," she told him. "I love John, and-!"

"Does he love you?" Shane asked in nearly a whisper, his eyes gleaming.

"Yes, of course he does," Mickie answered, the answer an automatic one. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She started to try to turn and pull her hand away, but Shane wouldn't release his hold on her hand. She watched as he leaned close to her, his lips lingering next to her ear.

"You know you want to just one more time, Mickie..."

"Hey, Mick."

An overwhelming sense of relief swarmed over her when she heard the familiar, welcoming voice. Shane backed away from her, letting go of her hand, and a smile appeared on her face as she watched Chris Irvine, better known as Chris Jericho, walk toward them with his own bag.

"I thought you would have been gone by now," Chris continued, flashing her a smile when he stopped next to her.

Mickie brushed some hair behind her ear. "Yeah, just ran into Shane," she muttered. "I'm on my way out, though."

Chris glanced at Shane, noticing the almost frustrated look he was giving him before turning his attention back to Mickie. "I'm heading out myself," he said. "Want me to walk with you?"

"Sure, sounds good." Mickie sighed as she looked up at Shane. "Um, see you around."

Shane nodded, an unreadable expression on his face. "See you, Mickie."

Chris watched their exchange carefully before he walked forward and pushed open the door, holding it open until Mickie stepped out of the arena and into the night before following after her. "Everything okay, Mick?" he asked, falling into step beside her.

Mickie smiled at him. "Yeah, everything's fine," she answered. "Just didn't expect to run into Shane tonight. He hasn't been at a show in a while..."

"You're lying," Chris muttered after a moment.

"No, I'm not," Mickie protested, looking away as they kept walking. Then, she bit down on her bottom lip. "That obvious?"

"Only because I've known you since you came into the WWE," Chris replied with a slight laugh. "You squint a bit when you're lying..."

Mickie sighed. Chris had been her best friend since she had joined the company, and she loved him for it, but there were still some things she felt she should keep to herself. Her past affair with the younger McMahon was one of those things since it was one she wasn't particularly proud of as she looked back on it. She was afraid of what he would think of her. "Don't worry about me, Chris," she muttered. "It's nothing I can't handle."

Chris looked down at her with clear concern. "Is it something to do with Shane?" he wondered. "Did he say something to you?"

She wanted to tell him that Shane was making her feel uneasy, but since it was a mistake she had made, it was something she wanted to take care of on her own. So instead, Mickie just smiled. "Believe me, Chris. It's nothing."

"I want to, Mick," Chris muttered with a sigh. "I want to."

Then, Mickie looked up when she heard a car horn honk a couple times, and a broad grin appeared on her face when her boyfriend John Hennigan, otherwise known as John Morrison, walked toward her. "Hey, there you are, babe," he said, his own smile mirroring hers as he wound his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

Mickie smiled as she stood on her toes to give him a quick kiss. "Sorry I took so long," she replied. "Uh, Chris and I were just talking."

"I see that." John smiled at Chris, who returned it as they quickly shook hands. "So, Mickie. Mike and I were talking, and we were thinking of heading out to the bar tonight. What do you think?"

Recognizing the name of John's best friend, Mike "the Miz" Mizanin, Mickie quietly sighed. "I don't know, John," she told him. She got along well with Mike, but she was just really tired. "I don't know if I'm up to it tonight."

"Come on, Mickie, you need to get out for a little bit," John muttered, brushing some hair out of her face. "It'll be fun. Promise."

Chris watched Mickie carefully as she looked down for a moment, biting her lip. "Sure, John. Fine," she finally said, forcing a smile on her face as she looked back up at her boyfriend. "You're right. I do need to get out for a little bit."

"That's my girl." John leaned down and kissed her with a bit more intensity before turning his attention to his friend. "Hey, Man. Wanna come with us?" he asked.

Glancing at Mickie for a second, Chris smiled back. "Sure, why not?" he answered. "I was thinking of going out for a bit anyway."

"Great! See you there." John turned and began to walk toward their rental car with Mickie wrapped in his arm. She put her bags in the backseat with his before climbing into the passenger seat next to him. She put on her seatbelt as John started the car, looking at Chris still standing where they had left him. A small smile appeared on her face, which he returned, as John pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

John paid for his and Mickie's drinks, picking up the bottles and turning away from the counter. A small smirk appeared on his face when Melina Perez, who used to manage team MNM with him and Joey Mercury, walked past. She turned and winked at him before continuing on her way, and he watched her until she was lost in the bustling crowd before going back to the table where his best friend and girlfriend were sitting.

"Thanks," Mickie said when John handed her the drink as he sat down in the seat next to her and wrapped an around around her shoulders.

Mike smiled at him, holding up his own bottle. "Cheers, Man," he muttered.

"Cheers." John clinked his bottle against his friend's, both men taking a drink. Mickie took a small sip of her own, sighing as she closed her eyes for a minute. The bitter taste was something she still wasn't quite fond of.

Then, she looked up when two people stopped next to their table, smiling when she saw Chris and another good friend of his, Adam "Edge" Copeland. They both already had their own drinks in their hands. "Hey, guys," Mickie greeted.

"Hey," Chris replied, returning her smile. "We're just going to go get a table."

"Nah, Man, you can join us," Mike said, getting to his feet. "We'll just pull up a couple more chairs." He scooted his own closer to John before he grabbed two more from the nearest table and brought them to theirs. "There you go."

"Thanks," Adam muttered as he and Chris sat down.

"Yeah, thanks," Chris added, taking a sip of his drink.

"No problem," John replied. "The more the merrier, right?"

"True," Chris agreed with a short laugh. He noticed that even though she was trying to act enthused about being there, Mickie looked exhausted as she leaned against her boyfriend.

Mickie then looked up when she heard applause, smiling slightly when someone set the karaoke microphone down and the man running it asked for more volunteers. "Hey, John, want to sing with me?" she asked, setting her drink down as she looked up at him hopefully. She was determined to have a little fun that night even though it wasn't her original plan, and for her, karaoke would be a way to do that.

But John noticeably hesitated. "I don't know, Mickie," he answered with a sigh. "It's not really my thing..."

"Oh." Mickie's shoulders slumped a little as she rested her chin on her hand. "Okay, that's fine."

"I'll do it with you if you want, Mick," Chris offered quietly, seeing how disappointed she looked.

Mickie's face lit up. "Really?"

Chris smiled and nodded. "Sure, we did it before with Phil, remember?" he said.

"How could I forget that?" Mickie muttered with a laugh, remembering the night she, Chris, and Phil Brooks, otherwise known as CM Punk, sang karaoke together. Since Chris was the lead singer of his band Fozzy and she was an inspiring singer herself, she and her best friend would often sing together on the road anyway. "Okay, let's go!"

"Have fun and sound beautiful," John told her, kissing her quickly before she got to her feet.

Mickie placed her hand on his shoulder for a second with a broad grin on her face before she started to walk through the crowd of tables toward the karaoke stage with Chris behind her. When they reached it, the man running the songs smiled.

"Hey, we have a duet!" he announced, to which the crowd applauded. "Go ahead and grab that mic, young lady, while I get another one for your singing partner."

A broad smile appeared on Mickie's face as she picked up the microphone, watching as Chris returned it as he was handed a second one. "Okay, so here's how it goes," the man explained. "The blue lyrics will be for the lady, and the red lyrics will be for the guy. White lyrics are to be sung together. Got it?" When Mickie and Chris both nodded, the man smiled. "Good. It's a well known song, so you should be fine. Take it away in three... two... one."

As soon as the music started, Mickie laughed quietly to herself when she recognized it right away. She glanced at Chris, who just shrugged before he was given his first lyrics.

"Turn around..."

"Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never comin' round," Mickie continued when the blue words came on the screen.

"Turn around..."

As she kept singing, knowing the words well, Mickie glanced out at the audience at John, seeing he was smiling proudly as he watched her. She felt her own smile appear on her face as she turned her attention back to the screen to focus more on the song.

"Turn around, bright eyes," Chris sang, glancing at Mickie.

"Every now and then I fall apart," Mickie returned, noticing white lyrics appearing on the screen for the chorus. Excitement started in her as she and her best friend began together.

"And I need you now tonight, and I need you more than ever..."

Then, Mickie noticed movement out of the corner of her eye, and her gaze wavered and dread coursed through her when she watched Shane McMahon sit down at a table near the front. She wasn't sure what he was doing there, but she felt her focus starting to slip as his eyes rested on her intently.

But she was brought out of her surprise when she felt a hand wrap around hers, and she looked back at Chris, who must have noticed she was distracted. Filled with fresh determination, she nodded as the white words continued on the screen.

"I really need you tonight," Mickie sang along with Chris, the song now at its highest peak. "Forever's going to start tonight..."

Then, blue lyrics came back on the screen as it began to wind back down, and she continued solo. "Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart..."

"There's nothing I can do, total eclipse of the heart," Chris finished with her as he tightened his hand around hers as the song ended. The crowd in the bar cheered as Mickie smiled and gave her best friend a quick hug before setting their microphones down to let other people have a chance to come up. Then, she walked off the stage with Chris, not looking at Shane as they made their way back to their table.

Mickie smiled broadly when she saw John, Mike, and Adam on their feet and clapping when they reached their seats. "Great job, babe," John said, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend and bringing her close. "You sounded like an angel tonight."

"Thanks, hun." Mickie pulled him down into a kiss before sending a smile her best friend's way. "And thank you for singing with me."

"Sure thing, Mick," Chris replied with a smile of his own as he and Adam sat down. "It was fun."

"Never heard that song performed better, Man," Adam muttered with an amused smile, laughing a little when Chris shook his head at him.

Mickie smiled as she wrapped her arms around John and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes as she yawned. Though she did have a blast singing karaoke with Chris, she was still exhausted. Noticing her tiredness, John pushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"Ready to leave?" he asked. "I know you weren't too thrilled about coming out to begin with..."

"Yeah, I'm ready," Mickie answered quietly, smiling up at him.

"All right, then." John turned and nodded at his other three friends. "See you guys later."

There was a chorus of "byes" in response, and John took Mickie's hand as they began to walk toward the door. Mickie glanced behind her and waved as they went since she really hadn't said goodbye, the small smile on Chris's face the last thing she saw before he disappeared into the crowd.

**Author's Note**: Hope you're enjoying it so far! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Just no flames. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. I also don't own the few lyrics from "Love Game" used. That would be Lady Gaga.

**Author's Note**: Thank you so much for all the support of my first challenge fic, guys! That really means a lot! I'm glad you're liking the story so far! I hope you continue to read and like it. Thank you to **XxDanielleNicolexX**, **FormerlyKnownasJackie**, **lizzy-beth-lizzy**, **HappyasHell**, **Hailey Egan**, **KityKat-1**, **devin**, **QueenofQueens**, **Kennedy2006**, **stephiexo95**, and **xxmindyloverxx** for your reviews! I really appreciate them. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter too!

_Chapter 2_

Mickie took the cup of water the man poured for her and took a small sip, the cool liquid feeling wonderful on her dry, scratchy throat. "Thanks," she muttered with a small smile.

"Sure," the man replied, returning it. "You look like you needed it."

"That I did," Mickie agreed, setting the small plastic cup on the table beside the bed. Then, she sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "That night started everything..."

The man sighed as he nodded. "It did," he agreed with a sigh of his own. "As did the next."

* * *

Mickie slowly opened her eyes when the morning sunlight hit them, taking a deep breath as she looked around the hotel room. John was sitting at the foot of the bed with his laptop, wearing only a pair of dark jeans with his wet hair tied behind his head, and she smiled to herself as she sat up.

"Good morning," she said.

John glanced over his shoulder at her, a smile appearing on his face. "Hey, babe," he replied before turning back to his laptop.

Mickie moved forward to sit behind her boyfriend, resting her chin on his shoulder as she looked at the screen as well. "What are you doing?" she asked, kissing the back of his neck.

"Just checking my email," John answered with a quiet sigh as he logged out before shutting the laptop. Then, he looked at his girlfriend. "Do you want to get changed and join me for breakfast?"

"I think I'm going to take a shower first," Mickie told him. "If you want, you can head down and I'll join ya'."

John looked back at her. "Are you sure?"

Mickie nodded, catching his lips in a quick kiss. "Yeah, it won't take me long," she replied with a smile.

"All right, if you're sure," John muttered. When she nodded, he got to his feet and took a fresh shirt out of his bag and pulled it over his head. "See you in a little bit, Mickie. Love you."

"Okay. Love you too." Mickie smiled at her boyfriend as she left the room before reaching into her own bag and pulling out a towel and new change of clothes. She went into the bathroom and took off her tank top and shorts before she climbed into the shower, closing her eyes as the hot water rained down on her. She ran her fingers through her hair, starting to hum quietly to herself. But she paused when she realized it was the same song she had sang with Chris at the bar the night before.

Mickie stepped out of the shower a few minutes later after quickly washing up, drying herself off before changing into her fresh clothes. She then ran a brush through her hair so it wasn't a tangled mess, leaving the towel in the bathroom to dry, and walked back into the main part of the room. She folded her pajamas and put them back in her bag before she left to join her boyfriend for breakfast.

When she got down to catering, Mickie saw John sitting with Mike at a table near the back. She got in line behind Melina and grabbed a plate, beginning to scoop some scrambled eggs onto it.

Melina glanced behind her when she heard the sound, and she smiled at the other diva. "Hi, Mickie," she greeted.

"Hey, Melina," Mickie said with a small smile of her own. "Congratulations on retaining your Diva's Championship last night."

"Why, thank you," Melina replied, her eyes gleaming as she grabbed her silverware. "Maybe soon you'll get a shot at this, huh?"

Mickie struggled to keep the friendly smile on her face, noting the slight condescending tone. "Oh, I'm planning on it," she told her.

Melina only shrugged and walked away to find a table. Sighing, Mickie picked up her silverware and walked across the room toward where John and Mike were sitting. On her way there, she passed by the table where Chris was sitting with Adam and their other close friend, Jay Reso, otherwise known as Christian. Chris' gaze met hers as she kept walking, and Mickie smiled at him before sitting down in the chair next to John.

"There's Mickie J!" Mike said with a smile. "We were just talking about you."

"Sorry if you were concerned," Mickie replied with a slight laugh, taking a bite of her eggs.

"Well, we knew you wouldn't be too much longer," John muttered, leaning closer to his girlfriend and kissing her cheek. "Glad you joined us."

Mickie smiled at him as she took a bite, sighing when John went back to whatever he had been talking about with Mike before she had joined them. Feeling left out of the conversation, she looked over her shoulder at Chris, seeing that he was laughing along with Adam and Jay about something. But she turned back to her plate when John took her hand in his, and she focused on finishing her breakfast. It was going to be a long morning.

* * *

_"Let's play a love game, play a love game_

_Do you want love or you want fame? _

_Are you in the game? Doin' the love game..."_

Mickie closed the door of her and John's hotel room behind her as she stepped out into the hall, gym bag over her shoulder and iPod playing as she headed toward the stairs. Getting her afternoon workout in would be good for her focus, she knew, so she was greatly looking forward to it. She needed some time to just not worry about anything.

When she turned the corner, Mickie smiled when she saw Maria Kanellis, a fellow diva and usual workout partner, waiting at the top of the stairs. "Hey, Maria!" she said, taking out one of her earphones so she could talk to her.

"Hey!" Maria smiled back as she gave her a quick hug before they both began to walk down the stairs. "I meant to tell you, but you left before I could. Great job at karaoke with Chris at the bar last night. I thought you would have done something with John."

"Thanks, Maria," Mickie muttered, her smile waning. "I asked John to go up with me, but he didn't want to. So Chris volunteered."

"Oh, well, you two sounded awesome!" Maria told her.

Mickie only nodded as they crossed the lobby to the door. But as soon as they stepped outside, she sighed to herself when she saw Shane McMahon standing not too far away, talking on his cell phone.

"Ugh, what is he doing here?" Maria asked quietly, disgust clear on her face. "I hate when he comes to shows... Has he been bothering you?"

Mickie didn't answer. Maria was the only one she had told about her past affair with Shane since she had often gone to her when she felt guilty when she had started developing feelings for John before they officially dated, and she was the one who had ultimately helped her get out of it.

"Let's just keep walking," she finally suggested. "Maybe he won't notice us. He seems busy on his cell like usual..."

"Good idea." Maria took the keys to her rental car out of her pocket and led the way to the parking lot, but they were stopped by a sudden voice behind them.

"Hey, Mickie! Wait up!"

"Think he'll follow us if we keep walking and ignore him?" Maria wondered, not even slowing down.

"Unfortunately..." Mickie muttered as she stopped and turned around with Maria next to her. She sighed as Shane jogged over and stopped in front of them.

"Glad I caught you, Mickie," he said with a smile as he lifted his sunglasses to rest on his head, glancing at Maria. "Mind if we talk?"

"Anything you want to say to me can be said in front of her," Mickie told him firmly. "What is it, Shane?"

Though he looked a little disappointed, Shane cleared his throat. "Uh, okay," he muttered. "Creative is in the process of figuring out a new challenger for Melina's championship. If you were interested... I could put your name in for consideration."

Mickie laughed a little and shook her head while Maria rolled her eyes. She recognized the look in the younger McMahon's eyes. "I would love to challenge Melina," she replied, "but not if I have to sleep with you to do it. I'll earn my spot, thank you. Come on, Maria."

Shane watched as the two divas walked away from him, his jaw set tightly. They put their bags in the backseat before Maria climbed in behind the wheel and Mickie got in the passenger seat next to her. Then, he growled quietly with frustration when Mickie waved at him and laughed before Maria started the car and drove out of the parking lot, leaving all thoughts of him behind.

* * *

Chris picked up his soda and sandwich and sat down at the table across from John. "Thanks for lunch, Man," he said, taking a sip of the drink.

"Sure, thanks for joining me," John replied with a smile. "Mickie went to work out with Maria. I'm sure they'll eat too. They usually do."

"Probably," Chris agreed. "So, you're moving to Smackdown soon, huh?"

John nodded, taking a quick bite of his sandwich before continuing. "Yeah. Since Mike is going to be moved to Raw during the draft to break up our tag team, they thought it'd be a good idea to move me too sometime after that."

Chris smiled slightly. "Well, that should be a good change for you, though," he said. "Fresh start."

John returned it. "Should be."

Then, they both looked up when two people entered the hotel's cafe, watching as Melina sat at a table near the door. Close behind her was Shane McMahon.

"Look like he's been bugging all the divas lately," Chris muttered, taking a sip of his soda.

"What do you mean?" John wondered, noticing the slightly annoyed look on Melina's face.

"He was talking to Mickie last night as she was leaving the arena when I ran into her," Chris told him. "Also saw him sitting close to the karaoke stage at the bar when we were up there." He paused. "She didn't tell you?"

John slowly turned to look back at Chris. "No, she didn't mention it," he replied. "Must not have been too important."

Chris didn't say anything for a minute, watching Shane and Melina carefully. He remembered how uneasy Mickie had looked when he had found her talking to the younger McMahon at the arena and how distracted she had been when he showed up at the bar. He didn't know what Shane had been talking to her about, but he felt it was more important than she was letting on.

But, he forced a small smile on his face as he looked back at his friend. "No, must not have been."

* * *

Mickie pushed open the door of her and John's hotel room after the workout and lunch with Maria, smiling when she saw John lying on the bed with his nose buried in a book. "Hey, hun," she said, walking further into the room and setting her bag on the floor before lying next to him on the bed.

John glanced at her before marking the page in his book and shutting it. "Hey," he replied, wrapping an arm around her. "Have fun with Maria?"

"Yeah, we had a good time," Mickie muttered, closing her eyes as she rested her head on John's chest. "It'll be nice to have a night off, though."

"For you, anyway. I've still got that house show." John smiled down at his girlfriend, but then it wavered. "Hey, Mickie. While Chris and I were having lunch today, we noticed Shane McMahon talking to Melina. I guess he's been doing that with a lot of the divas... Has he talked to you at all?"

Mickie felt her body tense slightly. "Um... I've bumped into him a couple times," she told him. "Why? Does it matter?"

John was a bit surprised by her sudden colder tone. "No, I guess it doesn't..." he said quietly. "I was just wondering since Chris mentioned-!"

"What did he say?" Mickie asked, propping herself up on one arm to look at John better.

"He said Shane was talking to you last night at the arena and was there at the bar," John answered, starting to get a bit frustrated as he sat up. "Mickie, I don't know what the hell is going on, but I wish you would just talk to me! That's what I'm here for. What's going on with Shane?"

"It's not a big deal, John," Mickie told him. "Nothing I can't take care of."

John looked at her for a long moment, trying to think of what he could say to her, but then he glanced behind him at the glowing green numbers of the electric clock. "I've got to head to the arena," he muttered, getting off the bed and grabbing his bag. "I'll see you after the show."

Mickie watched John as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall before shutting the door behind him with a little more force than necessary. She sighed, sitting up on the bed and running her hand through her hair. A year after the affair she had with Shane, she still found herself in a steady relationship she finally felt happy with in John.

Why did he have to come back into her life and threaten what she had?

* * *

Chris sighed as he entered the hotel after the house show, stifling a yawn as he walked across the lobby. John had invited him to go out with him, Mike, and some others, but he wasn't feeling up to it. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the muscles were tightening a bit under his fingers. Some loosening up would do him good, but being in the loud, busy atmosphere of the club the rest of the guys were going to didn't appeal to him.

But as he passed the hotel's bar, Chris paused when he saw Mickie sitting at the counter, a beer in front of her. Her expression was downcast, her eyes lightly red-rimmed as she took another sip of the nearly empty mug. Sighing, he slowly entered the bar, coughing a little as he brushed aside the lingering thin smoke from a couple cigarettes and made his way past a few tables before sitting in the stool next to his best friend.

"Everything okay, Mick?" Chris asked, raising his voice a little to be heard over the laughing drunk men around them and the music playing in the background.

Mickie slowly looked over at him, a small smile appearing on her face. "Hey, Chris," she answered, leaning over and giving him a quick hug. "Nice of you to join me. Here. I'll get you a drink."

Chris bit his bottom lip, able to tell Mickie had already had a couple drinks. "Uh, Mick, I don't know if I-!"

"Nonsense!" Mickie interrupted, signaling to the bartender. "Hey, can I have another one for my friend here?"

"What are you doing here, Mick?" Chris pressed, placing his hand on her arm when she turned her attention back to him. "You usually don't drink like this..."

Mickie laughed a little. "Why does something have to be wrong?" she wondered. "I can't just have a little fun sometimes?"

Chris sighed as the bartender set a beer in front of him. "No, you can," he muttered, taking a sip. "But usually, this wouldn't be a fun activity for you. "What's gotten into you, girl?"

"Well..." Mickie's face darkened a little as she thought about what had happened between her and John before he had left for the house show. She wouldn't have called it an argument since they hadn't raised their voices and he was just concerned, so that's not what she was dreading. It was the younger McMahon who was at the center of all her worries.

But Mickie forced a smile on her face instead as she met Chris' gaze. "Why focus on the negative?"

"Because I'm willing to bet that negative is why you're here," Chris said quietly, taking another long sip of his beer when the muscles in his neck started to hurt a little again. "Look Mick. If this has anything to do with Shane McMahon of if he's said anything to you..."

His sentence trailed off when Mickie leaned a little closer to him. "Chris, you're my best friend, and you know I love you," she replied. "I appreciate your concern and wanting to look after me, but don't worry about Shane. I can handle him. So what if he's been talking to me? John said he's been talking to a lot of divas! So what?"

Chris couldn't think of anything to say in response, so he took another long drink of his beer. Mickie clearly wasn't in the mood to talk, so he saw no point in trying to make her. "I'm just a bit worried about you, Mick," he whispered.

But his words went unheard as Mickie gave him a broad smile. "Let's just have a little fun, huh?" she asked, raising her beer mug. Sighing, Chris raised his own and clinked it against hers.

As time and drinks wore on, Chris and Mickie found themselves laughing a lot more as they shared stories from when she had first joined the WWE and how their friendship had developed over the years.

"It seems like such a long time ago that you joined the company," Chris muttered, finishing off his drink. Like Mickie, he had now had a few of his own.

"Yeah, but it's been a great time," Mickie told him. Then, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You know... It's really nice that you've always been there for me... Tonight too. Thanks, Chris."

Chris smiled. "Of course. That's what best friends are for, right?"

"True." Then, Mickie sighed as she started to push herself to her feet. "I think I'm going to head back to my room... Wait for John..."

"Here, let me help." Chris got to his feet when she wavered a little bit and put one arm behind her back, using his other to pull her arm around his neck. "Just to make sure you get to your room safely."

Mickie smiled at him. "You've had quiet a bit yourself, don't forget," she replied, her words slurring slightly.

Chris shrugged. "I think I can do this," he told her.

"Well, all right then!" Mickie laughed a little as they both began to walk out of the bar. "Thanks for the hand!"

"Anytime."

The pair then crossed the lobby and made their way up the stairs, Mickie leaning on Chris until they got up to their floor. They stopped in front of her and John's room, Mickie fumbling with the key for a moment before unlocking the door. Chris then helped her into the room, and they both laughed when they collapsed on the bed.

"Tonight was fun," Chris said, propping himself up on his arms. "Glad I came back here instead of going out with the guys."

"And I'm glad you joined me. I needed some best friend time," Mickie added. "Oh, speaking of which..." She sat up a little as she reached over and picked up her phone from the small table beside the bed, seeing she had a text message. "John... He won't be back until late. Don't wait up..."

"Does he do that a lot?" Chris asked.

"No." Mickie shook her head as she set the phone back down. "Usually I'm with him... but I had the night off and he didn't. Oh, well. Had a blast with you tonight, Chris!" She smiled as she leaned forward, kissing his cheek.

Chris watched as she started to pull away, but then, she stopped. He looked into her eyes for a long moment, starting to wonder if having as many drinks as they did had been a good idea. "Mickie..."

But his sentence was cut off when Mickie slowly leaned toward him and caught his lips in a soft kiss, pulling him closer.

* * *

Shane McMahon watched from a chair by the door of the lobby as Chris helped Mickie out of the bar, both appearing as though they had been drinking, as he waited for them to get a good way up the stairs before getting to his feet and casually walking after them. He made it up to the next floor, sneaking a glance around the corner as the pair entered Mickie's room. His eyes narrowed slightly as they shut the door behind them, and he looked down as he started to make his way back down the stairs.

What she and Chris were doing together, he wasn't sure. But what he did know was it couldn't have been a good thing.

**Author's Note**: That's it for that one! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. I also don't own the lyrics used from "Hello" by Evanescence.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Thank you so much to **Kennedy2006**, **devin**, **HappyasHell**, **QueenofQueens**, **stephiexo95**, **lizzy-beth-lizzy**, **FormerlyKnownasJackie**, **KityKat-1**, **txrockgirl**, and **x0allisonqt0x** for your reviews and support of this story! I hope you enjoy the next chapter as well!

_Chapter 3_

Mickie stared down at her hands, a thin line of tears forming in her eyes. "If only I could take that night back," she muttered, shaking her head slightly. "It was a mistake..."

"I know," the man said simply, his voice nearly as quiet as hers.

"But you have to understand," Mickie continued, a frantic glint in her eye. "Shane was threatening everything... If I would have said something sooner..."

"You didn't know." The man slowly reached forward and wrapped his hand around hers. "Besides, he didn't succeed in taking everything."

Mickie hung her head. "But almost."

* * *

Mickie's eyes fluttered open when she heard her cell phone ringing. She slowly lifted her head off the pillow, wincing slightly when it throbbed with pain. She sighed, remembering she had been drinking a lot and instantly regretted it, but she picked up her phone from the small table next to the bed and answered the call.

"Hello?" Mickie rubbed her eyes, hearing how heavy her voice sounded.

_"Hey, babe. Sorry to wake you."_

Mickie gasped quietly, recognizing the voice of her boyfriend. "That's okay," she replied, glancing at the clock and seeing it was about three in the morning. "Are you having fun?"

_"Yeah, we just lost track of time," _John told her. _"But we had fun. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be back in about a half hour, okay?"_

"Uh, yeah, that's fine," Mickie muttered. "I'll see you then."

_"See you then," _John agreed. _"Love you."_

"Love you too," Mickie said. "Bye." She ended the call and set the phone back on the table before lying back down. Sighing, she massaged her temples when the pounding headache wouldn't go away, turning onto her side.

But then, Mickie shrieked and quickly sat up on the bed, keeping the blanket over herself, when she saw Chris lying asleep next to her. But the sudden sound woke him, and a quiet groan escaped from him as he started to stir. His hand went to his head too, a similar headache to his best friend's, and he slowly looked up at her.

"Oh, shit!" Chris quickly sat up too, looking at Mickie with horror. "What the-!"

"I'm sorry," Mickie murmured, biting her bottom lip nervously. "Chris, I... I don't know what... what happened..." Then, she sighed. "John's coming back soon."

Chris finally tore his eyes from her, reaching down and picking up his clothes from the floor. Mickie turned away for decency's sake, sighing heavily. She had no idea what had come over her. But it was too late now...

Feeling some weight leave the bed, Mickie looked up and watched as her best friend walked toward the door. "Chris?" she asked, her tone weak.

Hearing his name, Chris paused with his hand on the doorknob, sighing as he looked over his shoulder at her. "I'm sorry too, Mick," he muttered, pulling the door open and walking out into the hallway.

Mickie flinched slightly when the door shut behind him, the quiet sound seeming so much louder. The way he had said the name only he called her was different. It sounded more distant, not containing its usual warmth.

With another sigh, Mickie slipped her robe on and walked into the bathroom. She stepped into the shower, closing her eyes as the hot water rained down on her. It started to soothe the muscles in her shoulders but wasn't doing what she had hoped, which was to wash away what she had done.

She had no idea how long she stood in the shower, but Mickie finally turned off the water and stepped out. She dried herself off and put her robe back on, staring at her blank expression in the mirror as she ran a brush through her hair. It had been a terrible mistake, probably one of the biggest she had made, and she just hoped that she hadn't lost her best friend because of it.

Not able to hold the feeling back any longer, Mickie felt tears escape from her eyes as she slid to the floor, bringing her legs close to her chest while she simply cried.

* * *

John entered the hotel with Mike, Melina, and a few others on the roster, their laughter finally starting to die away. "All right, well, I'll talk to you guys tomorrow. It was fun," he muttered, noticing the smile Melina was giving him. He returned it before beginning to go up the stairs to his room.

"Night, Man!" Mike said after him, to which he only got a wave.

Maria watched John until he was out of sight, looking at Melina carefully with a sigh. But then, not feeling as though it was her business, she took out her cell phone to text Phil, her boyfriend otherwise known as CM Punk, to see if he was still awake.

John walked down the hallway toward his and Mickie's room when he came to their floor, fishing the key out of his pocket. He finally found it and pushed the door open, surprised to see Mickie was standing next to the bed, folding up clothes and a robe and putting them in her bag.

"Hey, Mickie, what's going on?" he asked.

Mickie gasped quietly and looked over her shoulder at the sudden sound of his voice. "Oh, nothing," she answered with a small but forced smile. "I just... haven't been able to sleep since you called, so I thought a shower might help."

John nodded, slowly walking over to his girlfriend and kissing her quickly. "I think I'm going to take one too," he said. "A lot of other people were smoking in the club, and I don't want to have that smell on me."

"Yeah, you'll feel better," Mickie replied. "I'll be here." She watched as John pulled a towel out of his bag and went into the bathroom, waiting until the door shut behind him before she sat on the bed with her head in her hands. She had no idea what to do, how to tell him what she had done without hurting him if she could at all...

Then, she heard the water stop running, so Mickie situated her pillow comfortably and laid down, closing her eyes. She listened as John came out of the bathroom and dug through his bag before the quiet sound of the hair dryer started when he went back into the bathroom. Mickie gripped the pillow tightly, trying to calm the nerves ravaging her stomach. She had a feeling she wouldn't be sleeping much that night.

The hairdryer then shut off, and Mickie sighed when John came back into the main part of the room. She both heard and saw through her eyelids when he turned off the light, feeling him climb into bed behind her and wrap his arm around her waist. Mickie tensed slightly before she slowly relaxed into his chest, placing her hand on top of his. She listened to his breathing continue to slow, signaling he was asleep, as a single tear fell from her eye.

* * *

Chris pushed open the door of his hotel room, tossing the key onto the small desk next to the bed before grabbing a towel and walking into the bathroom. He stepped into the shower, turning on the water and setting it to hot. Sighing, he closed his eyes as he stood beneath the downpour, his mind reeling. He immediately wished he hadn't drank as much as he had that night. If he hadn't, he could have stopped what had happened.

But the thought that concerned him was whether or not he would have wanted to stop it. Mickie had been his best friend since she joined the WWE, and he cared about her since he had always looked out for her. Never had he considered anything more.

Telling himself it was just the alcohol, Chris turned off the water and got out of the shower once he had washed up. He stared at his pale reflection in the mirror, water dripping from his wet blond hair. Then, he cried out with frustration as he pounded on the mirror, his breathing heavy as he hung his head.

That night had been a mistake, but no matter how much he wished to, he knew he wasn't going to be able to take it back.

* * *

_"If I smile and don't believe_

_Soon I know I'll wake from this dream_

_Don't try to fix me I'm not broken_

_Hello I'm the lie living for you so you can hide_

_Don't cry..."_

"You _what_?"

Mickie sighed as she put her head in her hands. She and Maria were sitting in the hotel's cafe, having lunch together. "Please, keep your voice down Maria," she muttered with a quiet groan. "I don't want word of this to spread around."

"Sorry," Maria replied, glancing around at the other people sitting in the cafe with them. "But last night... you and-!"

"Look, I admit I drank a little too much," Mickie said, lowering her hands with a sigh. "I just... don't know what came over me..."

Maria looked at her friend sadly, reaching forward and wrapping her hand around hers. "Have you told John yet?" she asked hesitantly.

Mickie slowly shook her head. "I don't know how," she answered quietly.

"Well, he loves you, and you should be able to work through this," Maria muttered. "Don't worry. It'll be okay, Mickie."

"I sure hope so, Maria." Mickie squeezed her friend's hand. "I mean, not telling him the full truth about Shane is one thing, but what happened with Chris..."

Maria sighed, brushing some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I know, but believe me. Things will work out."

Mickie met her gaze and gave her a small smile, releasing her hand before taking a bite of her sandwich. "Thank you, Maria."

Once they were both done eating, the divas began to walk toward the pool since they were wearing their swimsuits under their clothes to just relax and swim a little once lunch settled. They passed by Shane and Melina walking in the opposite direction, Mickie noticing the seemingly knowing smirk the younger McMahon gave her as they continued on their way.

"Phil wasn't lying," Maria muttered, glancing over her shoulder at the pair. "She always is at his side..."

"Really?" Mickie asked, glancing at her friend. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but if he was spending a lot of time with Melina, maybe he would start taking his attention off of her.

Maria nodded. "Phil and I were talking about Shane yesterday since he was wondering if he had bothered me at all," she answered. "But he did say he hung around Melina a lot. Guess that would explain why she's still the Diva's Champion."

Mickie laughed a little. "Well, I say let her if she wants to mess around with him," she said. "I would love a shot at that title, but I'll work my way there."

"That's my girl." But then, Maria's smile wavered. "Hey, Mickie? Has John mentioned anything about spending time with Melina at all?"

"No, not really," Mickie replied as she shook her head. "I mean, I know he's still friends with her since she used to manage him and Joey in MNM. Why do you ask?"

Maria shrugged. "Melina was just hanging around John and Mike a lot at the club last night," she told her. "It wasn't a big deal or anything since they're friends. I was just wondering if he had mentioned it."

Mickie shook her head again. "No, but we didn't really have much time to talk last night. And I could honestly care less about Melina," she muttered. "Except that one day, her title will be mine."

* * *

_"Hey, this is Chris. Leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."_

Mickie sighed when she heard his voicemail, ending the call and setting the phone next to her on the bed as she ran her hand through her hair. Over the past week she had tried calling Chris many times, but she had always been met with the same result. He hadn't answered. The first couple times she had called him she left a message, but she had stopped since he hadn't returned them. She bit her bottom lip. She was relieved since she had managed to evade Shane since that day she had seen him with Melina, but it also felt as though her best friend was avoiding her too.

Not that she could blame him. Mickie regretted the night she had spent with him the week before when they had both been drunk, especially since she hadn't been able to tell John yet, and it was clear Chris had too. But he was the one person who had always been there for her since she joined the company, and she didn't want to lose that.

Then, Mickie gasped quietly when her phone began to vibrate, and she quickly picked it up. But her face fell when she saw it was only another alert since she had marked that day on her calendar. It was her and John's one-year anniversary, a day she had been looking forward to. But since he had left earlier that afternoon to work out, it was a day John didn't seem to remember since he hadn't mentioned it.

She wasn't sure how long she sat on the bed, looking at her phone hoping it would ring, but Mickie jumped slightly when the door to their room opened. A small smile appeared on her face when she saw John enter. "Hey, hun."

"Hey," John replied, sighing as he set his workout bag down.

Mickie narrowed her eyes slightly in confusion when she noticed he had one hand behind his back. "What do you have there?" she wondered.

John slipped his shoes off before looking at her, a teasing glint in his eye. "I have no idea what you're talking about, babe," he said with a wink.

"Oh, come on." Mickie's smile broadened as she got to her feet and walked over to her boyfriend. "You're holding something behind your back."

"No, I'm not." John laughed a little when Mickie stood in front of him, turning around when she quickly tried to stand behind him.

Mickie laughed too, placing her hands on his muscular arms as she tried jumping and leaning around him to see what he was holding behind his back. She resorted back to trying to step around him again to get behind him, but each time, John would turn so she couldn't see.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, Mickie," John muttered, grinning and chewing on his gum while he watched his girlfriend continue to try to get behind him.

"My ass you don't." Mickie pouted up at him, crossing her arms when she couldn't get around him. Then, a mischievous glint appeared in her eye. She placed her hand lightly on John's chest, causing him to start walking backward. "You know, I guess it really doesn't matter if I can't see..."

John smirked down at her as he took a few more steps back, but the look vanished and he quickly looked down behind him when he walked into the bed. Noticing he was starting to lose his balance, Mickie smiled as she pushed his chest, laughing when he landed on his back on the bed. The action caused John to take his arm out from behind his back, which she was hoping for, and she gasped when she saw he was holding a beautiful bouquet of assorted flowers.

"They're beautiful," Mickie muttered, taking it from John's hand when he held it out to her.

"Yeah, well..." John said, chuckling as he propped himself up on his arms. "Happy anniversary, Mickie." He watched as she carefully set the bouquet on the small table next to the bed. Then, he reached up and grabbed her arm, pulling Mickie down on the bed next to him.

Mickie shrieked, laughing a little as she wrapped her arm around his waist and snuggled into his chest. "Happy anniversary to you too," she replied, not able to keep the broad smile off her face.

John smiled as he kissed her head, running his fingers lightly up and down her arm. "And it gets better," he told her quietly. "I arranged it so I have tonight off too, and we can go out to eat. Wherever you want."

"No way." Mickie propped herself up on one arm to look down on him. "Really?" When John nodded, she laughed as she hugged him tightly. "Oh, my God! You're the best!"

"Well, it is our first year anniversary," John said with a smile, kissing the tip of her nose. "Have to make it special, don't I?"

Mickie smiled at her boyfriend, raising her hand as she brushed a strand of his dark hair that had escaped from his ponytail behind his ear. "I love you," she murmured.

John caught her hand when she lowered it, kissing her fingers. "I love you too." Then, he pulled her closer and met her lips in a more intense kiss.

* * *

_"Hey, Chris. It's Mickie. Uh... Just call me back whenever you get the chance. Um... Thanks. Bye."_

Chris sighed heavily as he entered the hotel after his workout, putting his cell phone in his pocket. After Mickie had tried calling him when he was driving back from the gym, a call he had reluctantly chosen to ignore, he had listened to the last message she had left him. He hadn't gotten around to deleting them, and whenever he tried, the slight hurt in her tone stopped him from getting rid of them.

Adam Copeland, one of his usual workout partners, walked a couple steps behind him, tightening his ponytail. "Hey, Chris, you okay, Man?" he asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Chris answered almost automatically.

"I don't know. You seemed kind of... distracted at the gym," Adam muttered.

Chris stopped walking with a sigh, turning to look at Adam. "I'm fine," he told him firmly. "All right?"

Adam looked back at him. "I don't believe you," he muttered. "I know you better than that. What's on your mind?"

After a long moment, Chris dropped his gaze from Adam's and glanced around the lobby. "Have... have you ever done something you regret?" he wondered quietly when he saw Adam was the only one around. "A mistake you've made that you can't take back?"

"Like... what?" Adam raised an eyebrow, hearing the uncertainty in his tone.

Chris took a deep breath. "Have you made a mistake... with another person?" he tried to explain. "Done something... unintentionally that threatened what you had with them?"

Adam's face darkened slightly. "Well... yeah," he said thoughtfully before he sighed. "But, Chris... What is this about?"

"I..." But then, Chris slowly shook his head. "You asked in the car why I didn't answer the phone when Mickie called on the way back here."

"Well, yeah, because you guys are so close." Then, Adam narrowed his eyes a bit. "Did something happen with you and Mickie?" he asked.

Chris ran his hand through his hair hesitantly. Adam had been a good friend of his for years, and he needed to get this off his chest. "Last week... We both had been drinking quite a bit," he answered quietly. "I don't know why it happened, but... but she kissed me, and..."

Adam sighed with a slight nod. "So, basically what you're saying is you were drunk and slept with her," he muttered.

"... Yeah." Chris sighed. "But I swear, if we both would have had clear heads, that wouldn't have happened. She's my best friend, Adam, but now..."

"I don't know what I can tell you, Man," Adam said with a shrug. "I mean, this is clearly something you regret doing... but what about Mickie?"

Chris nodded. "I think she feels the same," he replied. Then, his gaze saddened. "I don't know... what happened that night, but I wish it hadn't. She's happy with John, and I don't want to ruin that for her. And I don't want to ruin our friendship..."

"Nothing you can do about it now. What's done is done," Adam told him. "But now it's how you handle it. Does John know about... this?"

"Hell, I don't know," Chris muttered. "But, I can't bring myself to face Mickie. I've seen her around, and I know she's looking for me since she told me that in a message, but... I can't. Not after what happened..."

Adam's gaze faltered. "I know it's not comfortable, but avoiding her isn't going to help. You'll have to talk it through with Mickie."

"It's not that I _want_ to avoid her," Chris said, his gaze downcast. "But... you know..."

"Well, it's still something you need to work through with her," Adam told him. "You're drifting. I know you don't want to lose her, and I'm sure she doesn't want to lose you either."

Chris sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I don't want to lose her..." he repeated quietly.

Adam placed his hand on his arm. "Come on, Man. We'll figure out something," he told him. "Yes, it was a mistake, but things happen..."

"Yeah," Chris agreed. "I just hope it's one that can be fixed."

**Author's Note**: Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. Also do not own Train's "Drops of Jupiter."

**Author's Note**: Hey! Just wanted to say that classes have started for me again, so updates may be a little slower. But I'll continue to keep getting them up! I'm so glad you guys like this story! Thank you to **KityKat-1**, **QueenofQueens**, **JVottoGurl**, **Kennedy2006**, **devin**, **HappyasHell**, **FormerlyKnownasJackie**, **lizzy-beth-lizzy**, **x0allisonqt0x**, and **stephiexo95** for your reviews! Your support is much appreciated! Hope you enjoy this one too!

_Chapter 4_

The man sighed as Mickie tightened her hold on his hand. He reached forward when he saw a single tear escape from her eye, gently wiping it away with his thumb. "He took almost everything," he muttered when Mickie looked up at him. "But not me."

"He almost did though, and that's what scared me," Mickie replied quietly. Then, she sighed, running her free hand through her hair. "If only I could have seen the signs... for everything..."

"There's no way you could have known what he was going to do," the man told her.

Mickie looked down again, not able to meet his eye. "I still could have done something."

* * *

Mickie smiled as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, applying a little smokey eye shadow. She put the makeup back in her purse, running her brush through her hair one more time before leaving the bathroom. John was finishing buttoning up a casual dress shirt to go with his dark jeans, smiling at her when she joined him.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Mickie answered. "This is going to be great!"

John took her hand. "Well, let's go then," he said. "Where would you like to to? Your choice."

Mickie bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. There were a lot of places she could think of she would like to go, but none of them felt like they fit the one year anniversary criteria. "What about that Italian seafood place we passed on the way here?" she finally suggested. It had seemed like a really nice but simple place.

"If that's what you want," John told her.

Smiling, Mickie stood on her toes to kiss him quickly but lovingly. "What are we waiting for?" she muttered.

John smirked, beginning to lead her to the door. "Absolutely nothing."

The couple stepped out into the hallway, John making sure the door was locked before they made their way toward the lobby. John started down the stairs, and Mickie only took a couple steps after him when she noticed some movement out of the corner of her eye. She paused and looked up, seeing Chris was walking down the hallway toward her. She had been so happy since John had surprised her with plans for their anniversary that night that the problems she was having with her best friend had slipped her mind.

"Chris..." Mickie whispered, her eyes not leaving his face.

Almost as if he had heard her, though he was too far away, Chris looked up and met her gaze, stopping when he saw her. A look appeared in his eyes she couldn't read, and he looked as startled as she did to see her.

John glanced over his shoulder, stopping and turning around when he saw Mickie wasn't following him. "Hey, Mickie, you coming?" he asked.

His voice brought Mickie out of her thoughts, and she looked down at him with a smile. "Yeah, I'm coming," she answered before glancing back at where her best friend had been standing. She sighed to herself when she saw Chris was now walking down the hallway away from her, and she went down the rest of the way down the stairs with John.

She was determined to have that night be a memorable one.

* * *

Chris walked around the corner, sighing as he stopped and leaned back against the wall. He hadn't expected to see Mickie. If he had, maybe he could have found something to say to her...

But he knew that day was August 3rd, remembering it was Mickie and John's anniversary. It was a special day for her, and he didn't want to ruin it for her. Chris knew Adam was right and he had to talk to her, but not then. Not when she was so happy.

Sighing again, Chris ran his hand through his hair before starting to walk back toward his room. "I'm sorry, Mick."

* * *

It didn't take long for them to get to the restaurant, and once they got there, John arranged to get a table outside on the wooden deck. The waiter brought them out to a table, setting down menus for them. Mickie and John thanked him before he left, and a smile spread across her face as she looked around. There weren't many other occupied tables outside with them, and the light from the setting sun reflected off the still water that stretched out from beneath them.

"This is beautiful," Mickie muttered, her content smile lingering.

John glanced up from the menu he had already opened, his smile mirroring hers when he saw how happy she looked. "Well, good, I'm glad you like it, Mickie," he said.

Mickie laughed a little, picking up her own menu. "I really do," she replied, beginning to go through her options. "Hmm, that sounds interesting..."

"Hey, what do you think about getting the small popcorn shrimp basket for an appetizer?" John asked. "It says it's perfect for two."

"Where do you see that?" Mickie leaned forward on the table a little to look at John's menu since he was pointing to it, and she nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, sure. Sounds good."

The waiter soon came back to take their orders, setting two glasses of water down and lighting a candle between them before taking the menus and leaving. Another waiter came up to them shortly after with a kind of white wine to taste, and they both agreed on getting a bottle.

"Thanks for tonight, John," Mickie said once the man left, taking a sip of her water. "It's already been special."

"Well, it's only your one year anniversary once, right?" John replied with a smile. "But you're right. Tonight's a special night."

Mickie smiled, but before she could say anything else, the second waiter returned with their bottle of wine. He opened it and poured each of them the first glass before setting the bottle on the table and leaving. John picked up his glass, Mickie doing the same.

"To a great first year," he toasted.

"To a great first year," Mickie agreed, clinking her glass against his before each took a sip.

The popcorn shrimp basket came shortly after, but as the appetizer was set on the table, the waiter's elbow knocked over Mickie's glass of water and sent the cool liquid onto the right leg of her jeans as she gasped with surprise. "I'm so sorry, Miss..."

"Oh, that's okay," Mickie told him with a smile, standing up as she put the cloth napkin to her leg. "It's just water, no big deal."

"Need any help?" John wondered, starting to push himself to his feet.

Mickie shook her head. "No, I'm just going to go to the bathroom and dry this off," she told him. "I'll be right back. It won't take long."

"Okay, babe."

Assuring the waiter once again that the spilled water wasn't a problem, Mickie crossed the deck and went into the restaurant. She found the bathroom in a small side hallway, grabbing a few paper towels before turning on the hand dryer. She sighed to herself as her pant leg started to dry, but then reasoned if the only setback was a little water spill, she didn't have much to worry about. It was easy enough to fix and certainly wasn't enough to put a damper on that night.

It didn't take long for the water to dry, and Mickie threw out the damp paper towel before leaving the bathroom. She began to walk toward the main part of the restaurant to head back out toward the deck, but was stopped when someone blocked her way.

* * *

John sighed as he looked around at the nearly empty deck, glancing at his cell phone to check the time. He then took a sip of his wine before trying a piece of the popcorn shrimp, eating a second one as he waited for Mickie to come back. She should have been back shortly.

He smiled when he then heard her sit back down in the chair across from him, but John's eyes narrowed slightly with confusion when he saw it wasn't Mickie. "What are you doing here, Mel?" he asked.

Melina smiled at him. "A couple friends and I are waiting for a table inside, so I thought I'd talk to you for a minute," she answered. "Hope you don't mind."

John returned the smile as he shook his head. "No, not at all," he told her. Then, he gestured to the basket. "Want one? They're good."

"Oh, no thank you," Melina replied. "So, you're here with Mickie?"

"Yeah," John confirmed. "She'll be back soon. She just had to go to the bathroom to dry off a water spill."

Melina nodded. "Well, I'm happy that you're happy with her," she muttered, lowering her gaze from his. "Glad she can give you what I couldn't."

John sighed, leaning forward on the table a little. "You're still one of my best friends, Mel," he said. "That hasn't changed, and it's not going to."

Sighing as well, Melina slowly looked up. "I know." She paused thoughtfully. "The whole thing with Dave... It was a mistake, one I should never have made. I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

"That's over now, Mel." John placed his hand lightly on her arm. "I'm past it, and I want you to be too. I don't want something that happened in the past to hinder our friendship now."

"Easier said than done," Melina said, laughing a little. "You're not the one who made the mistake. You're not the one who hurt the one you love. I lost you, John, and that's what I regret most."

John looked at Melina with surprise, slowly removing his hand from her arm. "Mel..."

But before either one could say anything more, Melina reached into her pocket when her cell phone vibrated. "That's Maryse. We've got a table," she muttered, putting her phone away again as she got to her feet and smiled at John. "I'll see you later." Then, she walked over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder as she leaned down and lightly kissed his cheek before walking back into the restaurant.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mickie asked, glaring up at the man.

"I'm just here with a couple friends," Shane McMahon answered casually, seeming to be unfazed by her hostility. "What are you doing here?"

"None of your business," Mickie muttered, rolling her eyes as she started to walk past him. She refused to let him ruin her night. But she sighed when she was stopped by him grabbing her arm. "What?"

"You here celebrating with John?" Shane said, a look appearing in his eyes she couldn't read.

Mickie gave him an overly sweet smile. "So what if I am?" she replied. "That has nothing to do with you."

Shane shrugged. "I know," he told her, an almost twisted smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "I was just wondering if he knew about that time you spent with Chris..."

Immediately, the smile vanished as color drained from her face. Maria had been the only one she had told about the mistake she made with her best friend that night.

"He doesn't... does he?"

Mickie looked at him with disbelief. "How..."

"Oh, don't worry. No one told me," Shane assured her, seeing the look of panic in Mickie's eyes. "And I won't say a word..."

"If you're trying to say what I think you are, you can forget about it," Mickie snapped as she tried to act confident, though she was feeling completely opposite. "I'm not going to sloop that low. Besides, I... I am going to tell him."

"Really?" Shane looked at Mickie with amusement. "You sure are talking a while. John loves you, right? I'm sure you would work it out." When she didn't say anything, he raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Or... are you unsure? Are you afraid of what he would say? Afraid you would hurt him? Afraid he would leave you if he found out you were keeping that from him?"

"Shut up!" Mickie pulled her arm from Shane's grasp, having had enough of him. "Just shut up and leave me alone!"

Shane smirked as he watched her turn and hurry away from him. "He'll have to find out sometime, Mickie," he said after her.

Mickie heard Shane's words, but she ignored them as she entered the main part of the restaurant. She noticed Melina and Maryse were sitting at a table near the window, laughing and talking with each other, before she walked out onto the deck. A waiter was at her and John's table, setting down the food they had ordered and nodding politely at her boyfriend before he left.

But as Mickie looked at John, a thoughtful look on his face, she felt tears form in her eyes. No matter how much she hated to admit it, Shane was right about one thing.

She hadn't been able to talk to him about the mistake out of fear of the pain it would cause for both of them.

* * *

Chris locked up his rental car with a sigh before he began to cross the dark parking lot with Adam. He was looking forward to a somewhat quiet night since the muscles in his neck were still bothering him, the pain only steadily increasing as it began to slowly spread to his right shoulder.

The slight wince as he put his hand to his neck didn't go unnoticed. "Are you okay?" Adam asked as they entered the hotel.

"Yeah, I will be," Chris answered as they walked toward the bar. "My neck muscles are tight, that's all. Some loosening up should help a little." He didn't want to admit that it was only getting worse.

"Still?" Adam paused before they could enter the room filled with already drunk people. "Hasn't it been like that for like a week? Maybe you should get that checked out."

Chris looked back at him. "Maybe I should," he replied. "But not now. It's manageable. Look at what we do for a living, Adam. I probably just strained a muscle or something. I really can't afford any time off for that." Then, he turned and walked into the bar.

Adam watched him carefully for a moment, a tad concerned since he remembered what had happened when he didn't get what he thought had been a "manageable pain" in his neck looked at right away. But knowing there was no arguing with him, he sighed and followed after him into the bar.

The two friends got an empty table by the open doorway since the rest of the room was filled. Adam sat down so they could save it while Chris went up to the counter to order their drinks. He signed his autograph on a napkin while he waited, but just as the bartender started to make his way over to him, the radio that filled the bar with music went out.

"Damn it," the man muttered, walking away from Chris to look at the stereo. "Stupid piece of crap..."

Chris looked around at the rest of the men and women sitting in the bar, feeling the room suddenly grow tense. He met Adam's gaze across the room, silently asking him if he wanted to leave since he didn't want to be with a bunch of restless people who had been drinking. His friend seemed to get the message because he got to his feet, and Chris started to walk away from the counter to meet him.

But before he could get too far, he was stopped by a hand on his arm. "Hey, you're the wrestler that sings, right?" the man he had signed the autograph for asked.

"Yeah, he is," the man sitting next to him added thoughtfully. "Hey, buddy, mind starting a tune or something for us?"

Chris laughed a little. "Look, it's not that I wouldn't love to, but I was just about to leave..." he began.

"Come on, Man!"

"Actually, if you want to, go right ahead," the bartender spoke up, looking up from the radio. "It'd be a big help until I get this thing fixed. Shouldn't be too long."

Chris sighed as he looked around the bar again before nodding. "Get me a chair," he said. He had no idea what he was going to sing, but it would be a good way to loosen up a little like he had wanted to.

Adam watched with confusion as a man sitting at a table near Chris stood up and gave him his chair, slowly sitting back down in his seat as his friend got up on the chair. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but it looked like they wouldn't be leaving for a little while.

"What's going on?"

Recognizing the voice, Adam looked over his shoulder and saw that Maria and her boyfriend Phil were standing in the doorway, watching the sight with interest. "We just got in and saw Chris standing on a chair," the redheaded diva continued.

"Honestly... I have no idea," Adam told her with a shrug. "We got here not too long ago and the radio went out. We were just about to leave, but then Chris started doing this."

"Well, it should be interesting to see at any rate," the Straightedge Superstar muttered, though there was disapproval in his eyes as he looked at the rest of the people smoking and drinking in the bar.

Adam nodded in agreement. "That it should."

Chris sighed as he looked out at all of the people watching him expectantly, glancing at the doorway and seeing that Phil and Maria had joined Adam. His mind was reeling as he frantically tried to think of something to sing since he could start to see them starting to get restless again...

Finally, he just began the first song that came to his mind.

"Now that she's back in the atmosphere, with drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey..."

"Interesting," Adam commented as the rest of the people in the bar began to quiet down. "Different choice of song too. I would have guessed like Metallica or Iron Maiden or something if I knew he was going to start singing..."

"She acts like summer and acts like rain, reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey..." Chris smiled slightly as he continued, seeing that he held the bar's complete attention.

Maria's eyes saddened slightly as she watched him, taking Phil's hand tightly. "It's one of Mickie's favorites," she murmured.

* * *

He had ruined everything.

Mickie lay on her back on the bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. Their dinner had been going perfectly until the waiter had spilled the water on her and she had run into Shane. She had no idea how he knew about her and Chris, but the threat he made about John finding out terrified her. She couldn't do that to him.

She then turned her head, seeing John was still asleep next to her with his back turned to her. Mickie sighed. Her boyfriend had acted different when she had come back to the table as well. He had been a bit more withdrawn and every smile seemed somewhat forced. She assumed something had happened while she was gone, but he hadn't said a word about it. The rest of the dinner had been nothing but tense.

And then there was Chris...

Mickie slowly sat up on the bed, brushing her hair out of her face as a thin line of tears formed in her eyes. She couldn't forget the look on her best friend's face when he saw her after a week of hardly seeing him at all. The shock in his eyes was one thing she knew would be burned in her memory.

But knowing that she wasn't going to be able to sleep, Mickie forced her tears back as she got to her feet and changed into a pair of jeans and a light sweatshirt. Walking around a little would be better than lying in her dark room alone with her thoughts. She slipped her shoes on and quickly left the room so she wouldn't wake John, quickly walking down the stairs to the lobby.

But as she made her way toward the front door, Mickie paused when she heard one of her favorite songs coming from the bar, knowing his voice anywhere.

"Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken, your best friend always sticking up for you, even when I know you're wrong..."

Mickie slowly walked a little closer to the bar, seeing Maria and Phil were standing in the doorway while Adam sat at a table close to them, all watching the performance. Chris was standing on a chair near the counter singing while everyone inside watched.

"But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet, did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day, and head back to the Milky Way..."

* * *

Chris glanced up toward the doorway when he noticed someone had stopped outside in the lobby out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise when he saw Mickie was watching him. But he quickly brushed it aside when he knew he had to keep going.

"But tell me, did you sail across the sun, did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded, and that Heaven is overrated..."

Maria looked over her shoulder when she noticed something in the lobby had caught Chris' attention. Her face fell a little when she saw it was Mickie, and she smiled and gestured for her to come join them. But she sighed quietly when her friend shook her head.

* * *

"And tell me, did you fall for a shooting star, one without a permanent scar, and did you miss me while you were looking for yourself... Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah..."

Mickie smiled slightly as she felt more tears form in her eyes as Chris started to get the rest of the people in the bar to sing that part with him before she turned away and walked out of the hotel. She would have joined her friends, but she didn't really feel comfortable, especially with her best friend there.

She stepped out into the dark parking lot, seeing a light drizzle had begun. But she didn't mind. It would feel refreshing as she walked around a bit to clear her head.

But then, Mickie gasped when an arm wrapped around her waist from behind and roughly turned her around. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw Shane had grabbed her, but he placed his hand over her mouth before she could scream as a cruel smile twisted her face.

"You can try to avoid me all you want, Mickie, but I always get what I want."

* * *

Chris glanced back at the lobby as he neared the end of the song, the crowd's chanting of "nah" trailing off as he signaled them to. He sighed quietly when he saw Mickie was no longer there watching him, and he lowered his gaze as he finished.

"And now you're lonely looking for yourself out there..."

**Author's Note**: Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. And do not own Train's "Calling All Angels."

**Author's Note**: Hey! Sorry for the bit of a wait. Life's been a little hectic since classes are in full swing. But, here I am with another update! Thank you to **KityKat-1**, **QueenofQueens**, **lizzy-beth-lizzy**, **HappyasHell**, **JVottoGurl**, **devin**, **FormerlyKnownasJackie**, **Kennedy2006**, and **Marrymebrandon** for your reviews! I appreciate them all! This is more of a transition chapter, but enjoy!

_Chapter 5_

Mickie closed her eyes as a few escaped from them, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "That night..." she began, having to pause as she tried to wipe her tears away. "That night..."

"I wish I would have known what he did," the man said quietly, hoping to be of some comfort. "I would have done something."

But Mickie shook her head. "I couldn't tell anyone, not with what he said," she muttered. "But... I tried to stop him, I really did..."

The man leaned closer, brushing away some hair that had fallen into her face. "I know," he told her. "But we have to do something. I'm not letting this go."

* * *

The entire bar filled with applause as Chris carefully stepped down from the chair once the song was finished. He couldn't help but smile as he looked out at all the people, laughing a little when he saw Adam was on his feet by the doorway as he, Maria, and Phil all cheered. Despite his initial reluctance, singing for them hadn't been fun.

Then, he looked behind him at the bartender when music filled the room again. "Hey, we've got this thing working again!" the man said with a smile as he turned to Chris. "Hey, thanks for our help, buddy. How about a beer for you and your friend who's here with you? On the house."

"Sure, thank you," Chris replied. "Sounds great."

As the bartender went to get the two drinks, Chris felt his smile slowly vanish. He hadn't been sure what had possessed him to sing that particular song, but when he had seen Mickie watching him for that one moment, he knew exactly why.

"Here you go, buddy."

Chris was brought of his thoughts when the bartender placed the two beers on the counter in front of him. "Thanks," he told him, taking them back to the tale where he and Adam were sitting. He watched the other man start to pull his wallet out to pay him back, and he shook his head. "On the house, Man."

"Really?" Adam asked with a smirk when Chris handed him his drink. "You may have to randomly sing more often."

"Don't even..." Chris muttered with a smile while Adam laughed.

Maria smiled slightly as she watched the two friends, but she looked up at Phil when he wound his arm around her. "Want to get going?" he asked.

"Sure." Maria turned back to the table, placing her hand on Adam's shoulder since he was closer. "We're heading out. See you guys later."

"Okay, bye," Adam said while Chris waved.

Maria waved back as she and Phil entered the lobby, taking his hand. "That was nice to hear Chris sing," she muttered.

"Yeah, it was," Phil agreed. "Something different."

"He did well." Then, Maria paused for a minute when she thought she caught a glimpse of the familiar face of Shane McMahon outside in the dark. She narrowed her eyes slightly, somewhat suspiciously, as he disappeared from view.

"What?" Phil wondered, tightening his hand around hers.

Finally, after a long moment, Maria tore her eyes away from the door and turned to her boyfriend. "Nothing."

* * *

Mickie sat against the wall of the alley, tears staining her cheeks as she stared blankly ahead of her. She felt nothing. After what Shane had done, she expected to feel anger toward him, upset that she hadn't been able to stop him... something. But instead, she felt nothing.

_"I always get what I want..."_

Another tear fell from her eye as she remembered Shane's words before he had overpowered her. He was right. She had tried to stop him, but yet, he still had his way with her. Mickie leaned into the wall a bit more, trying to blend in with the shadows as the thoughts plagued her mind. She had never felt weaker, more vulnerable. It was a feeling that terrified her.

Time meant nothing as she continued to sit in the alley, and she wasn't sure how much of it had gone by before Mickie finally got to her feet. She took a deep breath and slowly walked out onto the sidewalk and entered the hotel. She glanced in the bar as she crossed the lobby, seeing Chris was finished singing and was now having a beer with Adam at the table near the door. For a moment, she considered joining them as she wiped her cheeks since it would be a way to try to forget about what had happened.

_"If you say anything about what happened, I can guarantee someone's going to find out about your night with Chris."_

Shane's threat echoed in Mickie's mind, making her decide not to join her friends at the bar. She had no doubt the "someone" the younger McMahon had referred to was John, and if Chris and Adam saw her now, they would know something was wrong. She couldn't take that chance since she couldn't risk John finding out. It was something she had to discuss with him herself.

Then, Mickie felt more tears form in her eyes when she saw Chris had looked in her direction, and she quickly turned her back on him and hurried up the stairs to the next floor. She quickly walked to her room and unlocked the door, seeing John was still asleep. Sighing, Mickie went into the bathroom and stepped into the shower, closing her eyes as the hot water rained down on her. But it wasn't having the cleansing effect she had hoped for, and she got out soon after.

Mickie put her pajamas back on and walked back out into the main part of the room. Instead of going to the bed to be with John, she walked over to the couch and curled up on herself when she laid down. She couldn't believe what had happened. Shane had forced himself on her, no matter how she had tried to stop him, and she was trapped since she wasn't able to say a word to anyone about the incident.

The emotion finally overwhelming her, Mickie tightly closed her eyes as silent sobs shook her body, crying until she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Adam looked at Chris carefully as he looked out at something in the lobby behind him, glancing over his shoulder to see that MIckie was walking up the steps to the next floor. "Everything okay?" he asked, seeing the other man was still staring at the stairs even after she was out of sight.

"Yeah, fine," Chris answered quietly as he took a sip of his beer and looked back at his friend.

But he wasn't so convinced of his words. He had seen her tear-stained face, the empty look in her eyes, her vulnerability.

Something was wrong.

* * *

Mickie gasped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, quickly sitting up and squinting in the sunlight that was filtering in the room. She shrieked with surprise when she clunked heads with someone, groaning as she put her hand to her forehead.

The person she bumped her head against had a similar reaction. "Ow! Damn it, Mickie..."

Sighing, Mickie looked up at her boyfriend. "Sorry, John," she muttered. "You just startled me."

John also sighed as he rubbed his forehead, giving her a small smile once the pain died away. "That's okay," he said. "What are you doing over here on the couch?"

Mickie bit her bottom lip, the events from the previous night coming back to her. Dread flooded through her when she thought about the incident with Shane, fear rising up within her when she remembered she couldn't say a word about it. "Um... nothing," she finally replied.

"Nothing?" John repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You were in bed when I fell asleep last night."

"I know." Mickie frantically tried to think of something to appease his questions. "I couldn't sleep, so I walked around a bit last night."

"And?" John raised an eyebrow, trying to get her to continue.

"And I just felt like sleeping on the couch, okay?" Mickie snapped without meaning to. "What's the big deal?"

John looked at Mickie for a long moment, running his hand through his hair before walking away from her. Mickie watched as he slipped his shoes on before grabbing his light sweatshirt.

"Where are you going?" Mickie wondered quietly, instantly regretting her harsh tone.

"Out for an early lunch with MIke," John muttered, pausing for a minute before leaving the room.

Sighing, Mickie laid back on the couch, closing her eyes as she put her hand to her forehead. She had felt a strain on her and John's relationship for some time now, yet somehow, they had managed to make it through and move on.

But this time, things were different. The tension wasn't getting any better like it had in the past. If anything, it was only getting worse. Mickie knew she had to talk to John to set things right, but she was hesitant since she also knew telling him about Chris could only make things worse.

For the first time, she wasn't sure what to do.

* * *

"Mickie? Mickie!"

Maria stood outside of her friend's hotel room, knocking on the door. She sighed, brushing some hair out of her face when she still got no response. "Come on, Mickie, it's time for our workout," she continued. "Mickie!"

The door finally opened a minute later, but only partly, and Mickie stuck her head out. "What, Maria?"

Immediately, Maria's eyes narrowed with concern. Her friend was wearing jeans and a light gray hoodie, but there was a pale tint to her cheeks and dark rings under her eyes. "Hey, Mickie, you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mickie answered with a small but forced smile. "I don't think I'm going to go work out today, though, sorry."

"What's going on, Mickie?" Maria pressed, having a feeling something was wrong just from looking at her.

Mickie shrugged. "I'm just tired and not feeling so well," she told her. "I"m okay. Just need to rest..."

Maria looked at her for a minute longer before she sighed. "Okay," she muttered, though she wasn't too convinced. "I hope you feel better. Sorry to bother you."

"Oh, it's no big deal, Maria," Mickie replied. "It was nice to see you. I just wish I felt better."

"Yeah, I hope so too." Maria smiled. "Well, go get some sleep. I'll talk to you later, girl."

"Bye, Maria."

Maria felt her smile slowly vanish as Mickie shut the door, sighing heavily. Something was definitely wrong with her friend, she just wasn't sure what. But she knew she had to say something.

* * *

Chris sighed as he left his hotel room, heading in the direction of the cafe to get something light to eat. He turned the corner and started making his way down the stairs, but he paused when he heard an angry voice from the lobby below.

"You did _what_ with her?" He recognized the voice of Melina Perez.

"Look, it isn't what it sounds like..." the other voice, one he recognized to be Shane McMahon, said in a calmer tone.

Chris walked down a couple more steps and snuck a glance over the staircase railing, seeing Melina and Shane were standing in the lobby, seeming to be having some sort of argument. He stayed back as far as he could, hoping not to be seen.

"Is that why I got a call from creative this morning saying I would be starting a feud with her in the next couple weeks for my title?" Melina demanded, fury on her face.

Shane sighed. "It will make a good feud, Melina, believe me," he told her, placing his hand on her arm. "She-!"

"No, don't touch me!" Melina snapped, interrupting him as she forcefully pulled her arm away. "I don't mind the feud. What I do mind is you sleeping around on me! Well, no more. You can go find someone else to mess around with." With that, she began to walk away from him as she headed toward the staircase. Chris ducked a little, trying to get out of sight.

"You still love him, don't you?" Shane asked after her, smirking when she ignored him. "John?"

Melina gasped, his name causing her to stop in her tracks. "How do you..." she began, glancing over her her shoulder at the younger McMahon.

"I just know," he told her. "But do you think he could really still consider loving you after the way you hurt him?"

A thin line of tears formed in Melina's eyes, but she didn't say anything else as she turned and began to make her way up the stairs. Chris quickly started to walk down them, smiling slightly when Melina glanced in his direction as she passed him. He sighed with relief, glad that he hadn't been noticed watching them.

When he reached the lobby, he saw Shane hadn't moved from his spot. Their gazes met, and Chris narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw the younger McMahon give him an almost knowing look as he walked into the cafe. He got to the counter quickly since no one else was in line, ordering coffee and a piece of cherry cake, paying for it before looking for a place to sit. He was about to take a spot at the table nearest him when he heard a quiet voice.

"Chris!"

He looked up curiously, seeing Maria was sitting at a table near the back, looking at him nervously. Chris picked up his food and drink and walked over to her table, sitting in the chair across from her. "What's going on, Maria?" he asked.

Maria sighed. "I think there's something wrong with Mickie," she answered, biting her bottom lip.

Chris paused for a minute before slowly taking a sip of his coffee. He had thought the same thing the night before when he saw her after he was done singing in the bar. "How so?"

"Well, I just went to her room since we usually work out at this time," Melina explained. "And she just didn't seem like herself. She said she wasn't feeling well, and she just looks exhausted. I think something's going on, and I can't help but be worried about her."

"Maybe she's just coming down with something," Chris suggested, even though he wasn't too confident about that reason.

Maria shrugged. "Maybe," she agreed quietly. "Hey, Chris, I know how close you guys are. Maybe you could talk to her or something? See what's going on..."

But Chris shook his head. "I don't think she'll talk to me," he muttered, his eyes downcast.

Remembering what had happened between Mickie and Chris, Maria sighed. "Well, maybe just keep an eye on her then? I want to know she's okay."

Though he wasn't showing it quite like Maria did, Chris was also worried about Mickie. The feeling that something was wrong had been there since the night before, only growing when he heard Maria's concerns. "Yeah, I can do that," he told her.

Maria sighed with relief, a small smile appearing on her face. "Thank you, Chris," she muttered.

Chris nodded. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she's okay."

* * *

The month passed by slowly for Mickie. Though she had the suspicion it was due to what Shane had done to her, she had become the number one contender for Melina's championship by winning a series of matches over the weeks, their feud ignited when she was attacked by the current champion after her last victory.

But her career seemed to be the only thing going in the right direction. There was more strain on her and John's relationship than ever. She was a lot more withdrawn after the incident with the younger McMahon, and he was gone a lot, not leaving a lot of time for them to talk like she knew they had to do. Maybe because of that stress, she found herself spending some mornings in the bathroom being physically sick. John was always there for her when it happened, but he passed it off as a bug she may have been coming down with.

Mickie wasn't so certain, and as time went on, she had started doubting it was even stress related. It wasn't every morning she woke up that way, and she always felt better as the day went on. What also concerned her was the fact that it was nearing the end of the month, and she still hadn't had her monthly visitor.

With a heavy sigh, Mickie sat up on the bed, looking around at the empty hotel room. John had gone out with friends after the show while she decided to just go back to the hotel since she wasn't feeling well, not being able to get rid of the nauseous feeling in her stomach. She didn't know where it had come from.

Then, she quickly rushed to the bathroom, pulling her hair back from her face when she was violently sick. She was left shaking once she was through, and she flushed the toilet as she carefully got to her feet and leaned heavily on the sink. Mickie poured some of the mouthwash she kept in the bathroom due to the sickness in the mornings into a small plastic cup and swished it around in her mouth as she stared at her pale reflection in the mirror, the rings beneath her eyes looking even darker.

What was wrong with her?

Mickie looked at her exhausted features again once she was through with the mouthwash, placing her hand lightly on her stomach. Fear coursed through her when another possibility entered her mind, and it terrified her since it was the one that made the most sense.

She hurried out of the bathroom and picked up her cell phone, dialing John's number and waiting as it rang. When it reached his voicemail, Mickie sighed with frustration as she ended the call, resisting the urge to throw her phone across the room. She set it safely back on the bed, running her hand through her hair as she sat down. There was no way to know for sure if her suspicion was correct since she didn't have any of the materials, but the more she thought about it, the more she feared that she was right.

Then, her eyes widened slightly when she remembered she wasn't the only one who came back to the hotel right away after the show. Realizing it was worth a shot since being alone with her thoughts was starting to drive her crazy, Mickie got to her feet and left the room, closing the door behind her as she began to walk down the hallway. She turned the corner, slowing down a little when her eyes landed on the last door on the right. She had no idea why she was even doing this when he probably wouldn't talk to her. But she also knew she had to try.

Taking a deep breath, Mickie walked with determination to the door at the end of the hall, her hand hovering in the air for a moment before she knocked.

* * *

_"I need a sign to let me know you're here_

_'Cause my TV set just keeps it all from being clear_

_I want a reason for the way things have to be_

_I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me_

_And I'm calling all angels_

_I'm calling all you angels..."_

Chris paced his hotel room, wincing when his shoulder felt stiff to move. There was one particular spot toward the bottom of his neck that was tingling as though it had fallen asleep, the muscles around it feeling tight. As he had told Adam a few weeks before, he had probably just strained a muscle. But over time, it had only gotten worse, not better, and he was starting to think that wasn't the problem.

Then, he glanced behind him when he heard a knock on the door, and he sighed as he crossed the room to answer it. He grabbed the doorknob, but he paused when he heard her voice.

"Chris?"

It was Mickie. Chris held his breath, not moving. His hand felt as though it had frozen on the door handle, the simple task of turning it requiring all his strength. So he just waited, deciding to see what she wanted.

He heard her heavy sigh float through the door. "Chris... I don't know if you can hear me, but... I needed someone to talk to," Mickie muttered. "I know it's been uncomfortable for us ever since that night, and... I don't know if it's from that, but... I think I might be..." Her sentence trailed off as a quiet sob escaped from her.

Chris' eyes narrowed slightly when he realized what she was implying. Could that one mistake really have... Taking a deep breath, he quickly turned the handle and pulled the door open, seeing his best friend was sitting against the wall next to the door, her face buried in hear arms. "Mick?"

At the quiet sound of her nickname, Mickie looked up at him. Chris' gaze saddened when he saw how pale her face was and the dark rings under her eyes, also damp and red-rimmed from crying. He had never seen her look like this before. He knelt down next to her, resting his hand lightly on her shoulder. Then, he was startled when she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him tightly as she buried her face in his chest. Chris immediately wrapped his arms around her tightly, simply holding her close to him as she continued to cry.

_"And I'm calling all angels_

_I'm calling all you angels..."_

**Author's Note**: Again, more of a transition chapter. Things will pick up soon. I promise ;) Anyway, thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. Also do not own "Down to My Last." That would be Alter Bridge.

**Author's Note**: Wow! I absolutely love all the support this challenge fic has gotten. It means a lot! Thank you to **Hailey Egan**, **FormerlyKnownasJackie**, **Marrymebrandon**, **Kennedy2006**, **stephiexo95**, **devin**, **lizzy-beth-lizzy**, **KityKat-1**, **HappyasHell**, **QueenofQueens**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **JVottoGurl**, **BQuinn**, and **WWECenaFan** for your reviews! The story is starting to pick up a little bit, so I hope you like this one too!

_Chapter 6_

The man looked at Mickie for a long moment, sighing when he saw she couldn't meet his gaze. "It's going to be okay," he told her quietly.

"No," Mickie muttered, shaking her head. "I don't see how it _can_ be okay..."

Then, she looked up at the man when she felt his hand wrap gently around hers. "It will be," he said. "I promise."

* * *

Mickie had no idea how long she sat on the floor, wrapped in her best friend's arms as all of the emotions she kept bottled up inside of her escaped. It was a relief to finally let them all out, and it felt even better to be with Chris.

"It's okay, Mick," Chris muttered, rubbing her back.

"How?" Mickie asked in a whisper, wiping her eyes. "How can it be, Chris? You're not there, John and I are falling apart, Shane-!" She paused, taking a deep breath. "Shane's being Shane... and I think I'm pregnant. How is that okay?"

Chris sighed as he rested his chin on top of her head. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you, Mick," he answered. "But that's going to change. I'm here now."

At his words, Mickie felt more tears overcome her as she clung to him tightly, almost as though she was afraid she would lose him again if she were to let go. She couldn't bear to lose her best friend for a second time, not now...

Mickie wasn't sure how much more time had passed before she found herself being led back to her room by Chris. She was almost in a daze, everything a blur to her as they walked. She only came out of it when they stopped in front of the door, Chris placing his hand securely on her shoulder.

"Try to get some sleep, okay, Mick?" he said, able to tell by looking in her eyes she was exhausted. "That'll make you feel better. If you need anything, come to me, okay?"

"I'll try. It hasn't been so easy as of late." Mickie unlocked the door and pushed it open, seeing by the empty room John hadn't come back yet. She sighed, turning back to look at her best friend. "Stay with me for a little bit?"

Chris sighed as he looked back at her, dropping his gaze after a moment. "Sure," he finally muttered, smiling slightly as he met her eyes again. "For a little bit."

Mickie returned the smile as she entered the room and turned on the light by the bed, Chris following slowly after her. He sat on the couch while she went into the bathroom to change for sleeping, resting his arms on his knees nervously. He couldn't stop the bad feeling in his stomach- it was almost as persistent as the tingling feeling at the center of the stiff muscles in his neck and shoulder.

He was brought out of his thoughts when the door to the bathroom opened and Mickie came back into the main part of the room. Chris got to his feet when she laid down on the bed, making her pillow comfortable and covering herself with the blanket. He sat on the bed next to her, brushing some hair out of her face before resting his hand on her shoulder as she smiled up at him. They talked for a little while before Mickie's eyes closed out of pure exhaustion.

Chris smiled slightly when he could tell by her light, even breathing that his best friend had fallen asleep. But then, he sighed heavily as he looked into her peaceful expression. She was pregnant. It should have been a happy discovery, but she was terrified. He couldn't blame her- it was a fear he shared after the one night they had together. He knew it would hurt her if the baby wasn't John's, and he didn't want to see what little was left of their relationship destroyed because of him.

He sat with her for a while longer, and once he was sure Mickie would stay asleep, Chris carefully got to his feet and turned off the lamp beside the bed. He crossed the room and slowly opened the door, glancing back at her one last time before quietly closing it behind him.

* * *

John smiled as he took the two beers the bartender handed him, handing one to his best friend. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Man," Mike replied, returning the smile as he took a drink. "So, how are you and Mickie... well..."

"I don't know," John replied with a sigh, running his hand through his hair. "She's different, Mike. I know there's something she isn't telling me, but she never says anything. And it's only been getting worse. Now she hardly talks to me at all."

Mike nodded. "Well, if you're sure she's keeping something from you, why don't you confront her about it?" he suggested. "I mean, you guys have been together for a year. If she can't talk to you..."

John thought about what he said for a minute, slowly nodding himself. "Yeah, you're probably right," he muttered. "I just think we're pretty much done. We hardly see each other anymore and there's a lot of tension... I don't know. I tried to work through this, but there's a lot lacking. She's shutting me out, Mike."

"If you feel that way, I don't blame you," Mike told him, taking another sip of his drink as they looked for a seat in the crowded bar they had gone to after the show. "If you're not happy with the relationship, it's best not to stay in it. Believe me on that."

"Yeah..." John spotted a table close by with only one person sitting at it, and he led the way over to it. Mike followed him, and they both sat down across from the woman. "Hey, Mel."

Melina slowly looked up from the glass in her hands, a small smile appearing on her face. "Hi, John. Mike."

John looked at her with concern when he saw the dark rings under her eyes, seeing they appeared to be dimmer than usual. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah. Fine," Melina answered, laughing a little as she brushed off his concern.

Mike looked from John to Melina and back, clearing his throat almost uncomfortably. "I'm, uh, gonna talk to these guys a sec," he muttered, getting to his feet and pulling his chair over to the table next to theirs where Adam, his best friend Jay, and Maria were sitting.

John watched them for a minute before turning his attention back to Melina. "What's going on, Mel?" he wondered.

Melina sighed, running her hand through her dark hair. "I've just been going through a lot," she replied. "But it's nothing that won't get better."

"What kind of things?" John took a sip of his drink, urging Melina to continue.

"Oh, I don't want you to feel like you have to sit and listen to my problems," Melina said with a laugh. "I don't want to put you through that."

John gave her a small smile. "I'm your friend, Mel," he told her. "That's what I'm here for."

Melina looked at him for a long moment before sighing and lowering her gaze, taking a slow sip of her drink. "I miss you," she muttered. "I tried getting over you, especially after what happened, but... it didn't work." She paused for a minute, anger flaring in her eyes. "Especially with that ungrateful, cheating bastard..."

"Whoa, wait a minute, Mel." John placed his hand on her arm. "What are you talking about?"

"It was just fun at first," Melina continued. "But I had enough. I was tired of him messing around on me."

"Who?" John asked. "Who hurt you?"

Melina met his gaze, and John was startled to see tears in her eyes. "Shane McMahon," she answered. "I wish I never would have gotten involved with him." She sighed. "He may have done something with Mickie too. That's when I broke it off."

"Mickie?" John repeated, shocked. Was that why she had been so withdrawn?

"She didn't say anything?" Melina narrowed her eyes slightly with confusion.

John shook his head. "No," he muttered.

Melina bit her lip. "Well, I really don't know what happened," she said. "Regardless, I was tired of it. I didn't want to deal with him anymore. He still seemed to be interested in her anyway."

Some anger crossed John's face. "I never knew she was even involved with him," he replied. "I can't believe she was keeping that from me."

"I'm sorry," Melina told him. "If I would have known she hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have. I just assumed you knew..."

"No, Mel," John replied quietly, almost thoughtfully. "It's good you told me. Glad someone finally did."

Melina sighed, reaching forward and wrapping her fingers securely around his hand. John met her gaze, watching as she slowly started to lean toward him across the table.

* * *

"John did _what_?"

Adam sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger," he said, raising his hands a little in defense when he saw the other man's anger. "Melina kissed him first, but he sure didn't stop her."

Chris slowly shook his head. The two friends were sitting in the cafe of the hotel, having a quick and light breakfast. He took a sip of his coffee, setting the mug back down on the table with a little more force than he meant to. "I can't believe..." he muttered, his sentence slowly trailing off before he began again. "I mean, Mickie told me last night she and John were falling apart, but I didn't expect he would do something like _that_."

"Well, if he's going to do something like that, maybe it's better for Mickie to just break it off," Adam replied, taking a drink of his own coffee. "If they're falling apart anyway..." Then, his eyes narrowed slightly in concern when the other man didn't say anything. "Something else wrong, Chris?"

"You could say that." Chris slowly looked at Adam, uncertainty clear in his eyes.

"Something to do with Mickie?" Adam asked. When Chris only nodded, he sighed. "Well, what is it?"

Chris bit his bottom lip, hesitating. "Mickie said she might be... pregnant," he muttered.

Adam looked at Chris for a long moment. "And... you think the child might not be John's?"

"Hell, I don't know what to think." Chris put his head in his hands. "What if it's not his? What if... what if it's mine? All because of that one mistake... What is she going to tell him? What am _I _going to do, Adam?"

Unsure of what he could say to put his fears to rest, Adam took a longer sip of his coffee before he leaned back in the chair. "I don't know," he reluctantly admitted. "I wish there was something I could tell you. But I really can't. I guess we'll just have to see how this all plays out." When Chris didn't respond or even raise his head, Adam looked away thoughtfully. "Where's Mickie now?"

"Out with Maria," Chris said, looking up and resting his arms on the table. "Getting a... pregnancy test..."

Adam turned his attention back to the other man, sighing as he watched his hands fidget nervously. "Well, we'll see how that goes before we start to panic," he told him. "It's no good to do it now."

Chris raised his gaze to meet Adam's, slightly nodding when he saw the small but calm smile that had appeared on his face. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed with a sigh, taking a sip of his coffee. "No use panicking now." He paused for a minute, reaching a silent conclusion. "I need to talk to Mickie."

* * *

Mickie walked into the pharmacy with Maria, nervously walking down the aisle that had what she had come for. She eyed the boxes nervously, noting how many different kinds there were. Why did there have to be such a variety when they all accomplished the same thing?

"So... do you have any clue about which one I should get?" she asked quietly.

Maria bit her lip as her eyes scanned the boxes intently. "Well, this one says it's the most accurate," she answered, starting to reach for it. But then, she paused. "Wait. This one says it too."

Mickie sighed, running her hand through her hair. "This is ridiculous," she muttered. "We shouldn't even have come."

"I agree this is ridiculous," Maria replied, turning to look at her friend. "But after what you told me this morning, I think this is something we need to do."

"Well, I already have a pretty good idea that I'm pregnant," Mickie told her, keeping her voice low. "These won't tell me what I really need to know."

Maria gave her a sad half-smile. She knew the main concern on her mind was whether or not John was the father. "It's always good to make sure," she said.

Mickie slowly looked back at the boxes of pregnancy tests with minimal interest. It was something she felt she shouldn't waste her time with but knew she should probably do. As her friend had said, it was always good to make sure. Sighing again, she grabbed the box closest to her, the one Maria had initially reached for, before walking down the aisle toward the checkout counter.

"Okay, let's just go."

The line was short, much to Mickie's relief, and they were soon on their way. The drive back to the hotel was silent, Mickie not in the mood to talk as she stared out the passenger side window while Maria turned on the radio just so there could be some noise.

"Hey, Mickie," Maria finally said, glancing at her. "How are you and John?" She remembered what she had witnessed between him and Melina at the bar the night before, knowing Adam had been just as angry as she had about it.

Mickie slowly looked back at the redheaded diva. "I don't know," she muttered. "We really don't see each other much anymore, and we hardly talk." Then, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?"

Maria sighed as she came to a stop at a set of red lights. "Just wondering," she replied, unable to meet her gaze. The conversation was dropped when she continued driving.

They reached the hotel soon after, and Maria locked up the car before they entered the hotel. Mickie led the way up to her room, turning back to look at her friend. "Can you stay?" she wondered. For the first time since she had the suspicion, she was nervous, probably since it was about to be confirmed.

"Sure, Mickie," Maria replied, following her into the room and shutting the door behind her.

Mickie smiled slightly as she sighed with relief. "Thanks, Maria."

"No problem," Maria told her, giving her a quick hug. "I'll be right here." She watched as Mickie took the bag from the pharmacy and went into the bathroom, sighing as she sat on the couch. She took a deep breath, wringing her hands nervously. She wasn't as anxious as her friend, but she was concerned about the outcome of the test.

Then, Maria looked up when the door to the room opened, watching as John entered. He stopped with surprise when he saw her, but he shook it off quickly. "Where's Mickie?" he asked.

"She's here," Maria answered, her voice cold as she narrowed her eyes slightly. "But she's busy."

John caught her harsher tone, and he sighed as he walked past her and sat on the bed. He remembered she had been one of the people Mike had sat with at the bar the night before during his conversation with Melina. "I just want to talk to her," he said.

Maria curtly nodded. "While you're at it, maybe you could explain why you were lip-locking with-!"

Before she could finish her sentence, John quickly and angrily got to his feet. But before he could say anything, the bathroom door opened and Mickie stepped out. "Okay, Maria, it-!" she began, but she stopped when she saw her boyfriend. "Oh. John..."

"Mickie," John muttered, his jaw set as he looked back at her. "We need..." His sentence trailed off, eyes narrowing slightly when he saw the strip in her hand. "What's that?"

Sighing, Mickie lowered her gaze, not able to look at him. "It's a..." She paused, unsure of how she wanted to tell him.

John opened his mouth to say something, but he was stopped from doing so when there was a knock on the door. Maria watched as he went to answer it, quickly getting to her feet and hurrying over to her friend.

"How did it go?" she asked quietly. When Mickie showed her the strip, she sighed and wrapped her arms around her tightly. "It'll be okay."

"No," Mickie whispered, closing her eyes when she felt hot tears burning in them. "I don't know how it can be, Maria."

John opened the door, seeing Chris standing on the other side. "Hey, what's up?"

Chris nodded slightly, but he didn't smile in response to the friendly greeting. "Is Mickie here?" he wondered. "I need to talk to her."

"Yeah she's here, but now's not really a good time..." John began.

"No, John. He should stay."

John turned around while Chris looked past him at Mickie, a couple of tears rolling down her cheeks while Maria held her. "What do you mean he should stay?" he asked.

Mickie took a deep breath. "He should hear this too," she answered quietly, taking a deep breath as she held the strip in her hand out for him.

A long moment passed before John took it and looked at it carefully. Then, his face remaining blank, he slowly looked back up at her. "Mickie, is this..."

"Yes," Mickie told him, wiping her tears away. "I'm pregnant."

* * *

_"But I'm down to my last_

_I'm standing here alone_

_Looking back on it all_

_I'm down to my last_

_I'm ready but I'm wrong_

_And I'm blind to it all..."_

Mickie stared down at the white sheets of the bed she was sitting on in the hospital room, John in the chair next to her. There was a tense silence between them while they waited, but she took some comfort in knowing Chris and Maria were in the waiting room.

"I can't believe we're here," John muttered, pulling his hair back into a ponytail.

"Well, you're the one who wanted to get it confirmed," Mickie replied, glancing up at him.

John met her gaze before absently picking at the cotton ball that had been taped to the crook of his arm from his blood test. He wasn't sure exactly why he had been so insistent about bringing Mickie to the hospital to get her pregnancy confirmed. The more he thought about it, what Melina had told him at the bar the night before about Shane stuck in his mind, and he was starting to think it wasn't the fact she was pregnant he wanted confirmed.

But for the first time in a while that he could remember, they were alone together. It would be the perfect time for them to talk. "Hey, Mickie?"

"Yeah?" Mickie looked back at him.

John sighed, straightening up in the chair. "I know we've been... drifting lately," he muttered. "And I think it's about time we started being honest with each other."

Mickie brushed some hair back from her face, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. "What do you mean?" she wondered.

Another minute of silence passed between them before John pushed himself to his feet and slowly walked over to the bed, Mickie looking up at him nervously. "I mean about Shane," he told her.

"How... how did you know about that?" Mickie was shocked. She hadn't told anyone what he had done to her.

John looked down, setting his jaw before turning his gaze back to her. "Why didn't you tell me you were ever involved with him?" he asked.

Mickie looked back at him with disbelief. "Involved with Shane?" she repeated. "John, that was a year ago before we started dating. I got out of it right away. I don't know how that has anything to do with-!"

"I mean now, Mickie," John said. "Is that why you've been so distant?"

"No, I'm not doing anything with him now," Mickie replied in her defense, her voice rising a little. "He's been trying, but I've always turned him down because I'm with you. It was only recently that..." Her sentence trailed off, sighing as she dropped her gaze.

John looked at her for a long moment before taking a couple steps closer. "Then what is it, Mickie?" he muttered. "What is it that's making you push me away?"

"I... I'm not _trying_ to push you away, John." Mickie slowly looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "But believe me. I haven't willingly done anything with Shane."

"Willingly?"

Mickie met John's gaze, seeing some concern had entered his eyes. But before she could try to change the subject, the door to the room opened and a doctor entered. He pushed his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose, looking at a manilla folder in his hands. Mickie felt her heart start to speed up, John standing tensely next to her.

The man cleared his throat. "We have the results of your blood tests."

**Author's Note**: For those of you who haven't read my stories before, I'm notorious for cliffhanger endings, lol. They'll be used a bit more frequently as the story moves on from here, so just a heads up. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. Also, do not own "Hero." That would be Skillet.

**Author's Note**: Hey, thank you so much to **Hailey Egan**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **lizzy-beth-lizzy**, **devin**, **Marrymebrandon**, **Kennedy2006**, **WWECenaFan**, **JVottoGurl**, **HappyasHell**, **FormerlyKnownasJackie**, **BQuinn**, and **QueenofQueens** for your reviews! I'm glad you guys are liking this story so much. And the cliffhangers. There will be more of them, lol. Anyway, thanks again, and enjoy!

_Chapter 7_

Mickie placed her hand on her stomach, taking a deep breath. I'm scared," she whispered. "I really am."

The man tightened his hand around hers. "I understand," he said. "But there are some good things about this too. You-!"

"No." Mickie sighed, shaking her head. "I've never faced anything like this before."

"You haven't," the man agreed quietly. "But you're not alone."

* * *

"We have the results of your blood test."

Mickie stared at the doctor for a long moment, taking a deep breath as she tried to ignore the dread in the pit of her stomach. "Okay, I'm ready," she said.

The man gave her a small, almost sad smile as he walked over to the bed, opening the manilla folder. "Well, I'll start by congratulating you on your pregnancy," he told her, showing her the paper inside.

There was no question about it now. Mickie bit her lip as John looked at the paper as well, seeing the initial fear she had was completely confirmed. But her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the chart, seeing something wasn't quite right.

"What does it mean that this line doesn't match up?" she asked, pointing to the area where it was off.

The doctor sighed, glancing at John before looking back down at the folder. "It means the blood sample we took from your friend doesn't match with the baby's," he answered.

Mickie looked at the paper with horror for a minute longer until the words sunk in, tears forming in her eyes as she put her face in her hands. John's jaw set firmly, his face eerily blank before he sighed, turning and heading for the door. Mickie lowered her hands and watched him leave the room, forcing her tears back before she got to her feet and followed after him. "Wait! John, please. Let me explain."

John heard her after him as he made his way toward the waiting room, but otherwise ignored her. But when she continued to call after him, he sighed as he stopped and turned back to her. "What?" he said, his tone containing slight traces of anger. "What do you want me to do, Mickie? What can I do when I hear that your child, what I thought could hold whatever little is left of our relationship together, isn't mine? How do you expect me to feel?"

"Please, John, I'm sorry," Mickie tried to calm him since his voice was starting to rise. "But if you just let me explain-!"

"What is there to explain, Mickie?" John snapped as he continued into the waiting room. He saw Chris and Maria get to their feet and start walking toward them, but he ignored them. "The baby's not mine, and you messed with Shane. I don't think-!"

"Damn it, John, just listen to me!" Mickie surprised herself with her sudden ferocity, seeing the shocked looks on Chris, Maria, and John's faces. She glanced around the waiting room, seeing all eyes had turned in her direction, so she sighed and lowered her voice. "I told you before I wouldn't do do anything willingly with Shane. He... forced himself on me. I tried to stop him, but..."

"Shane did _what_?" Chris asked, anger in his eyes. Maria looked at Mickie with fear before an angry look crossed her face as well.

Mickie sighed, not able to meet her best friend's gaze as she turned her attention back to John. "I don't know how you heard about Shane, but that's what happened," she muttered, a thin line of tears forming in her eyes. "I wouldn't do something like that if I could help it. But..."

"But what?" John's face remained blank as he looked back at Mickie, which unnerved her. She wished there would have been _some _sort of reaction since it would be easier to deal with.

Unsure of how to tell him as easily as possible, Mickie realized it would be best just to tell him. "Shane might not be the father," she said quietly. She saw Maria sigh and close her eyes, the action making her more nervous.

John stared at her for a long moment, and she was unable to read the expression that crossed his face. "What do you mean?" he wondered.

Mickie took a deep breath as she opened her mouth to answer, but someone beat her to it. "It's my fault."

Not expecting the sudden voice, John slowly turned to face Chris. "Your fault?" he repeated.

"Please don't do this, Chris," Mickie muttered, but her best friend held his hand up to stop her.

"Yes. My fault," Chris explained, keeping his gaze on John's. "One night while you were out late, we were at the bar. She had been drinking... but so had I. If I hadn't been, I could have stopped what happened that night."

John sighed, looking away from him as the words sunk in. He thought of how long Mickie had been acting differently and was withdrawn, wondering if that was when she had slept with the man he had considered a friend. He then slowly raised his gaze to look at Mickie. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly.

A single tear fell from Mickie's eye as she slowly shook her head. "I was going to," she answered. "But I was afraid of hurting you."

Tightening his ponytail, John narrowed his eyes slightly. "Well, I think you know this hurt me more than if you would have just told me," he murmured.

Mickie looked at him for a long moment, trying to think of something to say but couldn't. "I'm sorry," she finally whispered.

John closed his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath. "That's all you have to say." It wasn't a question. When Mickie remained silent, he opened his eyes as his jaw set firmly. "That's what I thought. I'm done, Mickie. I hope things work out for you."

Chris watched as John turned away from his best friend, his accusing gaze landing on him for a minute before he angrily left the hospital. He then looked back at Mickie, sighing when he saw she had her eyes closed tightly as tears rolled freely down her cheeks. He slowly walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, feeling her cling to him as she began to sob.

"It's... it's all my fault..." Mickie mumbled through her tears, burying her face in Chris' chest. "I... I should have..."

"No, Mickie, it's not your fault," Maria told her soothingly, rubbing her back. "A relationship is a two way street. John wasn't holding up on his end of the deal very well either."

"What... what do you mean?" Mickie asked, slowly looking over at her.

Maria sighed, twirling her finger in a strand of her red hair nervously. "Well... John's been spending a lot of time with Melina lately," she answered hesitantly. "Last night when we were out at the bar, he was kissing her."

Mickie tightened her hold on Chris. "He may not have done that if it hadn't been for me pushing him away," she argued. "This is still my fault."

"There is no way you can put all of this on yourself, Mick," Chris tried to assure her, brushing some hair out of her tear-stained face. "What Shane did to you was in no way your fault. And that night we had... I could have stopped it. But I didn't."

"But-!" Mickie began to protest, but she was cut off when Chris softly kissed her forehead.

"But nothing," he told her, giving her a kind smile. "I'll get a blood test so we can hopefully figure this out."

Mickie sighed as she slowly shook her head. "It's not going to be enough," she said, finding a little relief when she felt Maria's hand tighten her shoulder. "Shane's going to have to get one too, just to make sure. I just don't know if he will..."

Chris smirked. "Oh, he will," he muttered. "I can guarantee that."

* * *

"Looks like he's already left."

Chris looked up from the cotton ball taped to the crook of his arm, seeing the room Mickie had shared with John at the hotel was empty except for her own bags. The doctor at the hospital had asked him about his shoulder since he noticed it seemed to be a bit stiff, but he had brushed his questions aside. He was more concerned about the results of the blood test he had given them, along with the one Shane would ultimately give.

"Yeah, looks like he got out of here pretty quickly," he said. "Probably went to Melina..."

Maria noticed the blank look in Mickie's eyes, and she reached forward and squeezed her hand. "It's not your fault," she reminded her.

"I know," Mickie muttered, not able to tear her eyes away from the emptier room.

"Hey, why don't you come stay with me and Phil?" Maria suggested. "That way, you won't have to be on your own."

But Mickie shook her head. "No, Maria, that's okay," Mickie replied. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Maria pressed. "I swear, it wouldn't be a big de-!"

"I said I'm _fine_, Maria," Mickie interrupted as she turned to look at the redheaded diva, her tone harsher than she meant it to be.

Maria bit her lip as she looked back at her. "Okay. I'm just..." She paused for a minute. "I have to go."

Mickie sighed as she watched one of her closest friends turn away from her. "Maria, I'm sorry," she said, but she ran her hand through her hair as she only continued to walk down the hall.

Chris placed his hand on Mickie's shoulder. "We're just trying to help," he muttered. "We're concerned about you, Mick."

"I wish you wouldn't be." Mickie gave him a small but forced smile. "You don't need to be. I'll be fine."

"You're going through a rough time now, Mick. Breaking up with your boyfriend the way you did and being uncertain about your child's father." Chris sighed. "You shouldn't have to go through this alone. If you won't stay with Maria, how about with me?"

Mickie felt tears form in her eyes, but she forced them back. "I'll be fine, Chris," she told him firmly, though she felt opposite. "I appreciate your concern, but I'd rather stay here."

Chris didn't like the idea of her being alone, but he also didn't want to push her. "If you're sure," he murmured.

"I am." Mickie gave him a quick hug. "Thank you for everything, Chris."

"Of course, Mick," Chris replied. "But I'm going to get going. I'll see you later."

Mickie took a deep breath when Chris ran his fingers through her hair before starting to walk down the hallway the same way Maria had gone. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Chris paused, glancing over his shoulder at her. "I'll come by later to check up on you," he answered. "For now, I have something I need to take care of."

* * *

Shane McMahon left his hotel room, looking at his cell phone as he walked down the hallway. He had a meeting with the creative advisors about Melina's championship and her feud with Mickie, and he didn't want to be late for that.

But then, he gasped with surprise when someone grabbed his arm from behind, his phone dropping from his hand as he was pushed into the wall. He laughed a little when he found himself looking into the furious, intense eyes of Chris. "Can I help you?" he asked, his confident manner not waning.

Chris leaned a bit closer to the younger McMahon, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I know what you did to Mickie, you son of a bitch," he murmured, his voice laced with anger. "And if I were you, I would stay _far _away from her."

"Oh, and who told you about that?" Shane wondered in a mocking tone.

"She did," Chris told him. "And I believe her."

Shock briefly passed over Shane's face, but then he smirked. "Well, if what Mickie told you _was_ true, it'd be simple for someone to... _slip_ John the details of the night you two had," he said.

But to his surprise, Chris laughed. "You think you can blackmail me," he muttered, shaking his head slightly. "Unfortunately for you, John already knows all about that."

Shane's eyes widened a little. "He does?"

"Oh, yeah," Chris assured him, an almost cruel smirk on his face. "You have nothing on me, McMahon. But I have everything on you."

A moment passed before Shane recovered. "Okay, so you caught me," he admitted with a slight smile. "But even if you said a word to anyone, it'd still be a matter of 'he said, she said' if you know what I mean. When it comes to it, who are they going to believe?"

Chris shrugged thoughtfully, though the action was slightly painful. "You have a good point there," he said. "And yeah, being the chairman's kid, you have a lot of credibility. But what's going to happen when Mickie's child is born?"

Confusion appeared on Shane's face. "What do you mean?" he wondered.

"Mickie's expecting a child," Chris told him. "And guess what? There's half a chance it's yours. You can deny it all you want, McMahon, but words ain't gonna help you then."

Shane stared at the other man in horror. "It... could be mine?" he repeated.

Chris' smirk broadened. "Yep," he replied, a threat woven into his tone. "And if it is, everyone's going to know what you did. Can't worm your way out of that one."

"I..." But then, Shane narrowed his eyes as he pushed Chris away from him. "I'm going to prove it's not mine, just wait and see." Then, he straightened out his jacket and walked quickly down the hallway.

Once he was sure the younger McMahon was gone, Chris closed his eyes and winced, putting his hand to his sore shoulder. It had hurt when he held Shane to the wall since he felt as though he had raised it higher than he should have, even though he hadn't thought he had strained it. But it didn't matter to him. At least Shane was going to get some sort of test done so hopefully they could get answers about Mickie's pregnancy.

* * *

"You _threatened_ Shane McMahon? Are you _trying _to get fired?"

"I did what had to be done," Chris said quietly, his face blank. "Mickie's pregnant. We need to get answers."

Adam sighed, shaking his head slightly. They were walking across the lobby as they made their way to the parking lot to leave for the arena. "Okay, I understand that," he replied. "But _threatening _him? There had to be another way to get him to agree to that blood test."

Chris laughed a little. "Oh, yeah. I would have just asked him nicely," he told him. "That would have gone real well. Though I'm sure adding 'please' would have done it."

"You have a point there," Adam muttered as they stepped outside, catching his sarcasm. "But still, what you did probably wasn't the best idea. Shane could just say one word, and you'd be out of a job."

"Then I'd be out of a job." Chris couldn't look at his friend as they reached his rental car. He put his bag in the backseat when Adam unlocked it, sighing as he leaned against the top. "It's more important Mickie figures out who the father of her child is."

Adam climbed in behind the wheel, putting his seatbelt on while Chris got in next to him. "I agree it's important," he said, starting the car. "But-!"

"What's done is done," Chris interrupted quietly. "And whatever happens next happens. I accept that."

There was a long moment where neither man said anything as Adam left the parking lot and drove in the direction of the arena. "Well, Chris," he muttered. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

* * *

Mickie sighed, turning over on the bed to try to get in a more comfortable position. Ever since she had gotten home from the hospital, she had pain her in her stomach and a consistent, pounding headache, and she was just relieved she wasn't needed at the house show that night. Hopefully, a night of resting up would help her be ready for the pay-per-view two days away.

Then, she sat up slightly and picked up her cell phone sitting on the small table next to the bed when it began to ring. Her eyes narrowed slightly with confusion when she saw Maria's name flashing on the screen. "Hey, aren't you at the show?" Mickie wondered.

_"I am, and that's why I'm calling you," _Maria told her. _"Vince wants you to come in. Said he needed to talk to you."_

Mickie's eyes narrowed slightly. "Did he say what about?" she asked.

_"No," _Maria answered. _"He just said he needed to talk to you."_

"Okay, well, I'll be there in a little bit," Mickie told her. "Thanks, Maria."

_"Sure," _Maria replied. _"Bye."_

"Bye." Mickie ended the call and sat completely up on the bed. She groaned, putting her head in her hands when a wave of nausea coursed through her, waiting until it passed before she got to her feet. She leaned on the small table for a moment when her pounding headache made her dizzy before slipping her shoes on and grabbing the keys to the rental car John had left behind.

The drive to the arena was quick for Mickie, mainly because she wasn't focused on it. She found a spot to park and entered the building, making her way backstage. She passed by many superstars on the roster, but otherwise ignored them as she came to a stop in front of the room Vince was using. Taking a deep breath, she hesitated for another moment when her nausea came back before knocking on the door.

It opened a minute later, and Mickie sighed with dread when she saw Shane McMahon on the other side. But before she could find anything to say to him, she noticed a band-aid on the crook of his arm. "What happened?" she asked.

"Nothing," Shane answered quickly, almost defensively. "Now come on."

"I'm not here to talk to you anyway," Mickie muttered, rolling her eyes as she walked into the room when Shane stepped aside. She stopped in front of the table the chairman was sitting at while the younger McMahon shut the door behind her.

"Thanks for coming in, Mickie," Vince said as he slowly got to his feet with a sigh. "I know you weren't part of the show tonight."

"No big deal," Mickie replied with a forced smile since deep down, she felt otherwise. "What do you need?"

Vince didn't return the smile, and Mickie felt herself beginning to feel anxious. "I regret to tell you that you've been pulled from the card for the pay-per-view this Sunday," he told her.

"What?" Mickie stared at the chairman with shock. "But I was supposed to beat Melina for the championship!"

"I know," Vince muttered. "And we've got that figured out."

Mickie shook her head slightly in disbelief. "This championship is important to me," she continued. "You can't take me out now!"

"I'm sorry, Mickie, but I've made my decision," Vince said firmly. "I can't have you wrestling in your... current situation since it will be a danger to you and the baby."

There was a tense moment of silence where Mickie thought everything over. "You're releasing me." It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Vince confirmed quietly.

Mickie took a deep breath as a thin line of tears formed in her eyes. "Okay," she muttered as she looked up at Vince. "Well, hope your pay-per-view turns out."

Vince looked at her with surprise. "Mickie..." he began.

But Mickie turned around and headed for the door. She glared at Shane when she saw he was smirking at her, knowing he had something to do with letting Vince know about her pregnancy and her release. Then, she opened the door and stepped out of the room, slamming it again behind her.

* * *

Chris walked back to the locker rooms after winning his match, trying to stretch his arm out a bit since it was sore and stiff. He couldn't seem to get rid of the tingling feeling at the base of his neck, finding it more annoying that anything. He thought of how Adam had told him to get his shoulder checked out back when he thought he had strained a muscle, realizing that probably would have been the best idea.

He quickly changed into faded jeans and a t-shirt, putting his bag over his other shoulder before leaving the locker room. He began to make his way down the hall, but he stopped with surprise when he saw Mickie walking ahead of him. He thought she wasn't supposed to be at the show that night.

"Hey, Mick!" Chris called after her, speeding up his pace a little to catch up. He was a little concerned when she ignored him. "Mick, wait!"

Chris finally caught up with his best friend, placing his hand on her arm to stop her. Mickie tried to pull away for a minute, but when she did slowly turn to look at him, he was startled when he saw tears falling from her eyes. "Mick, what happened?" he asked anxiously, reaching forward to try to wipe them away.

But Mickie flinched, and Chris pulled his hand back. "Please, just leave me alone," she whispered.

Sighing, Chris released his hold on her arm. "Mick, tell me what's going on," he muttered. "Please..."

Mickie looked at him for a long moment before shaking her head slightly. Then, she turned and continued down the hallway, turning around the corner and out of sight.

Chris watched as she left with a sigh. He knew something was wrong, but what concerned him even more was she wasn't saying anything. He was going to have to talk to her.

* * *

_"I need a hero to save me now_

_I need a hero, save me now..."_

Shane had taken everything from her. Her career was done. Her relationship was over. He may have been the father of her child...

Mickie sighed as she set the empty beer bottle on the small table next to the bed, running her hand through her hair. That last thought scared her more than anything, unsure of what she would do if the child proved to be his. She wasn't sure if she could handle it since the younger McMahon had pretty much ruined her life.

Then, she glance down at the phone sitting next to her on the bed, seeing Chris was calling her again. Mickie realized she had worried him since she had ignored him when she ran into him at the arena earlier, but she couldn't bring herself to talk to him. Not when she was like this at her lowest point.

Once it was done ringing, Mickie slowly got to her feet. But she stopped and gasped when felt a sharp pain in her stomach and a wave of nausea passed through her. She put her hand to her head when the sudden pain made her feel dizzy, her pounding headache returning.

Feeling weak, Mike slumped to the floor against the bed as tears rolled freely down her cheeks. She was suddenly terrified, wishing she would have accepted Chris' call after all. She weakly raised her hand, trying to reach for her cell phone on the bed above her, feeling her fingers lightly brush against it before her vision faded.

* * *

_"I need a hero to save my life_

_A hero will save me just in time..."_

Chris entered the hotel and hurried across the lobby, taking the stairs two at a time. He had seen how upset Mickie had been when she left the arena and now understood why since he heard she had been released, and he was even more concerned now that she wasn't answering her cell phone. He ran down the hallway and came to a stop in front of the room his best friend was in, knocking on the door a couple times.

"Mick!" he called, pausing for a minute before knocking again. "Mick!" He knew she was facing a very rough time, and he was worried about her being alone.

But his nerves only rose when after a few more minutes of knocking, she didn't answer. Having a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, Chris took a deep breath as he stepped back before ramming his good shoulder into the door, feeling it give a little under the force. He pushed it open the rest of the way and stepped inside the room, his eyes widening in horror when he saw her.

"Mickie!"

She was lying on the floor next to the bed, her eyes closed. Chris knelt down next to her, leaning down so he was close to her mouth and feeling her light breath on his cheek. Relieved that she was at least breathing, he scanned the room and saw the empty beer bottle on the small table near her, sighing heavily. This was why she shouldn't have been alone.

Then, he noticed her cell phone sitting on the bed, and he grabbed it before turning his attention back to Mickie. Chris carefully lifted her into his arms, hesitating for a moment when his sore shoulder protested to it, but he ignored the feeling as he got to his feet. Holding her close, he ran from the room, knowing he had to get her help as fast as possible.

"Hang in there, Mick..."

**Author's Note**: Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. Also, do not own "Whataya Want From Me." That would belong to Adam Lambert.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Sorry for the bit of a wait. School has kept me busy. But thank you so much to **Marrymebrandon**, **Kennedy2006**, **JVottoGurl**, **FormerlyKnownasJackie**, **QueenofQueens**, **HappyasHell**, **lizzy-beth-lizzy**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **BQuinn**, **KityKat-1**, **WWECenaFan**, and **devin** for your great reviews! I appreciate them all. So, after that cliffhanger I left you with, let's continue.

_Chapter 8_

Mickie sighed, looking down at their joined hands for a long moment. "And here we are," she said quietly, looking at the man sitting next to her.

Chris nodded in agreement. "And here we are," he repeated just as quietly.

Sighing, Mickie slowly shook her head. "I don't know, Chris," she muttered, a thin line of tears forming in her eyes. "What if the child isn't yours? What if... what if it's _his_?"

Chris sighed too, slowly raising his hand and placing it lightly on her cheek. The same concern was on his mind, but he didn't want to express it in front of his best friend. "Don't worry," he assured her, his voice low but firm. "No matter whose it is, I'll be there for you. You can count on that. But I need you to work with me to tell someone about what happened."

To his horror, Mickie shook her head. "Mick, why not? We need to get Shane's ass in jail, press charges... something."

"No one's going to believe me," Mickie muttered, a few tears falling from her eyes. "Even if we talked to Vince or whoever, it's his word against mine."

Chris looked at her sadly, wiping her tears away. "We need to do something about this, Mick," he said.

"Oh, and what the hell can we do?" Mickie snapped. When she saw Chris' face remained blank, she sighed and put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm just... really stressed out right now."

"I know," Chris muttered. "But I'm not going to let Shane get away with what he did to you, Mick."

Mickie slowly raised her head to look at him. "What are you going to do?" she wondered, concern in her eyes. "Chris, please don't do anything stupid..."

But Chris only smiled. "Don't worry about me," he told her, running his hand through her hair. "Just focus on getting better, okay? That's all I care about."

"Please, Chris, if you do something you end up regretting, I'll-!" But Mickie's sentence was cut off when her best friend leaned forward and left a soft kiss on her forehead.

"As I said, don't worry about me." Chris took her hand again. "Worry what's best for you and the baby now, Mick. That's what's most important."

Mickie looked at him for a long moment, but before she could say anything more, they both looked up when the door to the hospital room opened. "Glad to see you're awake, Miss James," the doctor who had cared for her since Chris brought her in said in a friendly manner. "How are you feeling?"

"Um... okay," Mickie replied. "What's wrong with me?" She remembered the stomach pain she had been having and the headaches before she had passed out in her hotel room.

"Good." The man then opened a manilla folder he held in his hands. "I wouldn't say anything is actually wrong. All the symptoms you were experiencing came from the high level of stress you were under, though the alcohol didn't help much either. I would advise you to eat and sleep on a regular schedule. That will help to bring the stress down."

"So, she and the baby are okay?" Chris asked for confirmation.

The doctor gave him a small smile as he nodded. "Yes, mother and baby are both fine," he answered before looking back at Mickie. "I would also advise you not to drink anymore during your pregnancy."

Mickie sighed with relief. Through the situation she was in was very stressful, she was glad nothing was actually wrong with her. And though she was still unsure of the father, she felt herself starting to feel a connection to the baby. "I won't," she assured him, a small smile appearing on her face. "Thank you."

Chris also smiled slightly since he could see the one on his best friend's face was true. It felt like forever since he had seen that. But then, he sighed as he looked back at the doctor, slowly getting to his feet. "I have another question for you," he muttered. "The blood test I gave a couple days ago. I was wondering if you had the results for that yet in relation to the child."

The doctor sighed, looking down at the contents of the folder. "That's what I brought this in for," he said. "We ran both blood tests with the sample we have from Miss James."

"Both?" Mickie looked up at him with confusion. But then, she remembered the band-aid that had been on Shane's arm when she had gone to talk to Vince and wondered if it had been from submitting a blood test. She just didn't know why he would have agreed to one.

"Yes. We also have one from a Shane McMahon."

"And?" Chris glanced down at Mickie when he felt her grasp his hand tightly, seeing the anxious look in her eyes as she waited for the result.

"Well, as of right now, I regret saying I can't say anything for certain," the doctor told them.

Chris looked at the doctor with confusion. "What do you mean?" he wondered quietly.

The doctor raised his glasses to rest on top of his head as he closed the folder. "This early on, we can't get a specific DNA reading from the fetus," he explained. "We can only go by blood samples to match both parents to the child. That is how we rule out potential paternal sources. You and McMahon have the same blood type, so at the present time, the child could belong to either one of you. We will have to wait for the baby to develop more to get a more detailed result."

Mickie felt her heart nearly stop as she looked at the doctor with horror, groaning as she put her head in her hands. Chris looked at the man for a moment longer before sighing heavily as he nodded, unsure of what to say.

"I'm sorry I can't be any more certain right now," the doctor said apologetically. "We'll contact you or Miss James when we can run more tests." He paused, gesturing to the door. Chris followed him across the room, stepping out into the hallway with him and shutting the door behind them.

"I've dealt with a lot of cases like this where a young woman isn't sure who the father of her child is," the man muttered. "Most of them don't turn out well. It's usually a situation such as rape or some other unplanned pregnancy, and in those cases, they usually choose not to keep the baby. I'm not saying that'll be the case with Miss James, but she wasn't in good shape when she was brought in. For her sake, I hope the child turns out to be yours. You seem to be very supportive of her, and that's what she needs right now. For both herself and the child."

Chris slowly nodded, thinking his words over. "I hope so too," he replied. "We've always been close. We made a mistake, but that would be the better outcome now."

The doctor smiled, placing his hand on Chris' shoulder. But before he could say anything, his eyes narrowed a little in concern when the other man winced slightly. "Are you all right?" he asked, trying to get a better look at his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Chris answered with a smile of his own as he pulled his shoulder away. "It's just a little sore. But I wrestle for a living, so I'm bound to get a few aches sometimes. It's okay."

"Well, if you're sure..." The doctor still kept his eyes on Chris' shoulder, noticing it was a bit stiff.

"I am," Chris assured him confidently. "My main concern is Mickie's health."

The doctor sighed. "Miss James should be fine with rest and proper nutrition on a regular basis. As I said to her before, that will bring the stress level down," he told him. "Just be there for her and keep an eye on her. If you notice any setbacks, let me know immediately."

Chris nodded, holding out his left hand. "I will. Thanks again."

After a moment, the doctor smiled slightly and shook his proffered hand. "You're welcome," he said. "Both of you take care. She can leave whenever she's ready."

"All right. I'll tell her." Chris watched as the doctor walked away down the hall, sighing and closing his eyes tightly as he moved his hand to his sore, stiff shoulder. Though the other man hadn't put much pressure on it, what felt like burning pain had shot through his arm and up to his neck from the contact. He knew he probably should have let the doctor check it out, but Mickie was his main priority.

Once the pain died back down to a manageable level, Chris opened the door and stepped back into the room. "Good news, Mick," he announced. "We can get out of here whenever you're ready."

But his eyes narrowed slightly in concern when Mickie didn't even look at him, instead staring blankly at the wall in front of her. "Mick, what's wrong?"

Mickie slowly turned her gaze to him, and Chris saw there were tears shining in her eyes again. "This child..." she began, but her tears choked her up before she sighed and began again. "I can't do this..."

Remembering what the doctor had told him out in the hallway, Chris quickly walked over to the bed and sat next to her. "Of course you can," he told her, taking her hands tightly in his. "I'll be right there with you."

"But..."

"But nothing." Chris gave her a small smile. "This child is a part of you, Mick. And regardless of what the tests will say, it will be a part of me too. I told you I would be there for you, and I meant it."

Mickie looked at him for a long moment before a sob escaped from her, tears streaming freely from her eyes. It terrified her to realize she had considered, even for a moment, giving up the child, and she didn't understand why she deserved someone like Chris in her life since she had been so selfish. The thoughts were overwhelming as all of the built-up stress she kept inside was released with her tears.

Chris wrapped his arms around her securely and pulled her close, feeling her cling to him tightly as he rested his chin on top of her head. "Shh," he said in hardly above a whisper as he rubbed her back. "I'm here. It'll be okay, Mick. We'll make it through this. I promise. Everything will be okay."

* * *

John opened the door of the hotel room he had visited, stepping out into the hallway. "Thanks for agreeing to meet with me, Vince," he said, glancing over his shoulder.

"Thanks for coming in, John," Vince replied with a sigh. "I'll see you at the pay-per-view later."

"All right, see you then." John shut the door behind him before starting to walk down the hall. He tightened his ponytail as he walked around the corner, heading for the door at the end of the hall that belonged to Melina. He had been staying on her couch since he had broken up with Mickie since she was nice enough to let him use it, and though they were remaining friends, he found himself reminded of what they used to have. John knew Melina still had those feelings for him and regretted past decisions she had made, and John felt that when the time was right, he could also return those feelings. It hadn't been until his relationship with Mickie fell apart that he realized he missed her too.

John opened the door with the extra key Melina had given him and stepped inside, pausing with confusion when he saw the room was empty. "Mel?" He walked further into the room, a bad feeling starting to form in the pit of his stomach. Melina knew he wanted to meet with Vince and told him him she would wait for him to leave anywhere before the pay-per-view that night. Something didn't feel right.

Then, as John slipped a piece of mint gum in his mouth, he heard his phone start to ring from his bag. He walked over to the couch and pulled it out, seeing Melina's name flashing on the screen. Sighing with relief, he answered the call. "Hey, Mel, where are you?"

There was a long pause on the other end, which only made John's unease rise. "Mel?"

_"John... it's Shane. He... he wanted to meet with me about... about the championship, but..."_

"Mel, slow down," John tried to calm her, quickly leaving the room. "What's going on? Where are you? I'm on my way." He could hear the panic in her voice, which only fueled his anxiety.

_"Second floor. He had to take a phone call, and... and I made a break for it..."_

John ran down the hallway as he made his way for the stairs. "Okay, Mel, walk toward the staircase leading upstairs," he told her. "I'll be there in a minute."

_"Okay..."_

"I'll be right there, Mel," John assured her before ending the call, starting to take the stairs two at a time. Once he got down far enough, he jumped over the railing to the floor below, landing on his feet in a crouch. He straightened up and hurried down the hallway, hoping to find his friend as quickly as possible.

* * *

_"I'll be right there, Mel."_

Melina slowly walked down the hallway in the direction of the staircase as John had told her to after they hung up, hoping to run into him before Shane came after her. She thought it was just going to be a meeting about the fate of her championship, but clearly, the younger McMahon had other intentions. She had told him she was through messing around with him, but he obviously wasn't going to let her go yet.

She paused at the corner, sneaking a glance around it and seeing the next hallway was clear. Taking a deep breath, Melina started to continue on, but she gasped when a strong hand from behind stopped her. She quickly turned around, seeing it was Shane.

"I told you I was only going to be a minute," he said, a smirk appearing on his face.

But Melina shook her head, trying to tear her arm from his grasp. "And _I_ told you I'm through!" she snapped, anger crossing her face when he didn't let go. "Why can't you just accept that?"

Shane shrugged. "We had fun, didn't we, Mel?" he asked. "Those were some good times."

"Don't you dare call me that," Melina hissed, not giving up on trying to pull her arm away.

"Why not? John does." There was a gleam in the younger McMahon's eyes she didn't like. "Besides, it's cute."

Melina sighed, stopping her efforts for a moment when she realized she wasn't going to get anywhere that way. "That's different," she told him quietly.

Shane's smirk broadened. "You think he'll really take you back, don't you?" he wondered in a voice just above a whisper. "Show him a little hospitality after he goes through a... rather rough break up, and you really think he'll just welcome you back with open arms?"

A thin line of tears formed in Melina's eyes, and she quickly turned away so Shane wouldn't see them. That hadn't been the reason she had offered to let John use the couch in her hotel room, but there was some truth to the younger McMahon's questions. She always knew she missed John, always regretted what she had done to him. But over the past couple of days when he had been staying with her, during their late night conversations about anything that came to mind or reminiscing on old times while listening to Guns N' Roses, she realized just how much she still loved him. She didn't know if he returned those feelings, but she valued his friendship.

After she blinked her tears away, Melina slowly turned back to Shane with an almost seductive smile on her face. "You know... you're right," she said, taking a couple steps closer to him. "Why waste my time chasing some guy who probably will never love me... when I know I have you if I just ask?"

Shane looked at her for a moment before a similar smile appeared on his face. "I knew you'd come around," he replied, brushing some black hair out of her face as he pulled her against him. "Besides, I thought you'd like to reign as champion for a while yet. You make such a good one."

Melina nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck while he wound his arms around her lower waist. "That's only a bonus," she murmured, leaning closer. "There's only one thing I care about."

Laughing a little in anticipation, Shane snuck one hand under her shirt a little, resting his hand on her stomach. "Shall we take this somewhere a little more... private?" he wondered, running his thumb lightly over the tender skin.

"Mmm... No. Right here is fine," Melina said, running one hand over his chest. "Because the only thing I care about..."

"What?" Shane looked at her curiously when her sentence trailed off, resting his other hand on her hip.

Melina smiled before anger suddenly appeared on her face. Before Shane knew what was happening, he gasped when her knee connected with a low area, feeling more pain than he ever had. Melina backed away from him as he doubled over, smirking as her eyes shone triumphantly. "The only thing I care about is you stop ruining girls' lives, you bastard!" she snapped. "You think just because you're the chairman's kid you can have your way with any girl you so choose. You've done enough. I sure as hell am _not _ going to let you ruin my life too."

Shane dropped down to his knees, coughing as the pain caused a feeling of nausea to course through him. "You... bitch," he muttered through his gasps. "You can... kiss your championship goodbye..."

"Well, then good riddance," Melina replied with a slight laugh. "I'm not sleeping with you to get it. I'm sure there will be a lot of other takers. Go to them."

After another moment, Shane glared up at her, starting to slowly push himself to his feet. Melina took a couple steps back before going around the corner and hurrying down the hall as the younger McMahon went after her. She glanced over her shoulder while she ran, gasping with surprise when she bumped into someone and tried to pull away when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her.

"It's okay, Mel," a quiet voice assured her gently. "It's me."

Melina opened her eyes and looked at the man who held her, sighing with relief when she saw John. Then, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Thank you," she muttered.

John smiled down at her, running a hand through her dark hair before looking up when he heard footsteps approaching. Melina looked over her shoulder, watching as Shane limped closer to them.

"You are going to regret this..." Shane muttered.

Melina smirked, but before she could say anything, John tightened his arms around her as he glared at Shane. "I wouldn't make threats," he told him. "You just attempted to force yourself on her as you did Mickie. That's enough for criminal charges."

Shane narrowed his eyes slightly at the other man. "You can't prove this one," he said confidently.

But John pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "I have the call from Melina," he replied. "That'll be enough."

Melina felt a smile appear when she saw the younger McMahon's hesitation. "Plus, I think the fact you're in so much pain you can hardly walk says a lot too," she added.

"If I see you anywhere even _close _to Melina again, I'm pressing charges," John concluded firmly. "Daddy can't really help you then."

Shane looked at them for a long moment before turning and walking the opposite way down the hall. As soon as he was gone, Melina closed her eyes as she let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding during the tense stare down between him and John. Then, she looked up at John when he felt his fingers beneath her chin, gently tilting her head up to meet his gaze. She was surprised to see the slight smile on his face.

"Are you okay, Mel?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Melina answered, trying her best to return the smile. "He didn't... actually do anything. But the intent was there. I think I hurt him more than he got to me, though."

John chuckled, tenderly brushing some of her dark hair behind her ear. "You used a really low blow, I can tell" he said.

Despite herself, Melina laughed a little herself. "Yeah, well, he had it coming," she muttered. "Someone had to do it."

"Well, I'm glad you did, then."

Melina looked at John for a long moment, seeing his eyes were shining as he looked down at her. She hadn't seen him look at her that way since before she had made the mistake with Dave.

_"There might have been a time_

_When I would give myself away_

_Once upon a time_

_I didn't give a damn_

_But now here we are..."_

John smiled down at her, reaching forward and taking her hand. "What do you say we get out of here, huh, Mel?" he asked.

Melina nodded, this time truly returning his smile. "Yeah, that sounds good," she answered quietly. "Thanks for coming, John."

"Of course, I'm glad you called me," John replied. "I'll be there if you need me. You know that."

"I do," Melina agreed quietly. "It's just nice to hear."

John's smile broadened as he tightened his hand around hers, starting to lead her toward the staircase that would bring them up to the third floor. Melina fell into step beside him, and making up her mind, she suddenly stopped walking. John looked down at her with confusion.

"What's up, Mel?"

Melina felt a thin line of tears form in her eyes as she met his gaze. "John, I know I've told you before that I regret what I did to you and that I miss you," she muttered. "But..."

"It's okay," John began to reach a hand toward her. "Believe me, I-!"

"No, John, please hear me out," Melina said, backing away from him a little. When he lowered his hand, she continued. "But over the past couple days, just talking like we have been, and when I thought for sure Shane was going to..." John nodded, and she cleared her throat. "It's deeper than that. I... I still love you. I don't think I've ever stopped. It just took all of this to make me realize it, but... that's how I feel. I don't know if you feel the same, but I just want you to know I love you."

John looked at her with surprise, seeing she couldn't meet his gaze. He took a deep breath, understanding where she was coming from. It had taken him a relationship that had completely deteriorated, but after hearing the fear in her voice when Shane had nearly had his way with her, he knew what the feeling was whenever he was with the woman standing in front of him.

Instead of saying anything, though, John once again tilted Melina's face toward him before leaning down and meeting her lips in a soft kiss. "I realize now I still love you too, Mel," he murmured, lingering close to her.

Melina stared at him in shock before pulling him back to her in another kiss. They stood like that for a moment before John tried to deepen it, and she parted her lips beneath his as she allowed him to. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he gently pulled her closer.

"I think we should take this somewhere else," Melina said with a slight laugh, looking up at him as she broke the kiss for a moment.

John chuckled too. "Yeah, you're probably right," he replied, starting to back away from her. "Not to mention we still have to get ready for the pay-per-view. You have a title defense to prepare for."

Melina sighed. "Yeah, it's one I'll probably lose," she muttered. "But that's okay. It was worth it."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about you losing your title just yet." John took her hand again as they began to walk up the stairs toward Melina's room.

"What do you mean?" Melina wondered. "Shane said I could pretty much count on it."

John winked at her. "Shane can only suggest," he told her. "And after what happened, I wouldn't worry, Mel."

Melina looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but then she laughed a little as he gave her another quick kiss. "Whatever you say, John," she said. "Oh, and one more thing."

"Yeah?" John looked at her curiously.

This time, Melina winked at him. "Tonight after the pay-per-view, you don't have to sleep on the couch anymore if you don't want to," she replied.

John chuckled, pulling her a little closer. "Sounds good to me, Mel."

* * *

"Chris, you really don't have to do this," Mickie muttered as she stepped out into the hallway, closing the door of her old hotel room behind her.

"Don't be silly, Mick," Chris said with a smile, carrying one of his best friend's bags as they walked toward his hotel room. "It wasn't a big deal helping you pack up your things, and it's definitely not a big deal letting you crash on my couch for a couple nights. Besides, it's doctor's orders that I keep an eye on you."

Mickie rolled her eyes with feigned annoyance. "Yeah, yeah." But then, she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Though she acted otherwise, she was truly glad she was going to be staying in his room from now on. She was filled with a sense of relief she hadn't felt for some time.

Chris smirked as he nudged her arm playfully but carefully as they reached his door, and he unlocked it and led the way inside. "Make yourself at home," he told her, turning on the light next to the bed.

"Okay, will do." Mickie immediately walked over to the couch, dropping her bag on the floor before collapsing onto it and closing her eyes. She cracked one eye open when she felt some weight on the couch, seeing Chris had sat down next to her.

"So, if you want, you can sleep," he said. "I have some things to do before the pay-per-view tonight, but I'll try not to bother you. If you want, you can come with me, and if not, then I'll see you after the show."

Mickie sighed, rubbing her tired eyes. "If it's not a big deal, I think I should stay here," she muttered. "I really don't feel like running into Shane anytime soon."

Chris looked at her sadly, running his hand through her hair. "I don't blame you," he replied. "Then just get some rest. You need it."

"Oh, believe me, I will," Mickie yawned. But then, she looked up at her best friend. "Oh, Chris?"

"Yeah?" Chris looked at her curiously.

Mickie stared into his eyes, a small smile appearing on her face. "Thank you. For everything."

Chris looked at her for a moment before returning the smile. "You're welcome, Mick." He watched as Mickie slowly sat up, moving a little closer to him. He placed his hand on her cheek, closing his eyes as he started to lean toward her. He could almost feel Mickie's lips against his before he stopped and sighed when he heard a knock at the door.

"I'll be right back," Chris said, Mickie laughing a little as she watched him get to his feet and answered the door. He was a little surprised to see Adam and Maria on the other side. "Hey, guys."

"Hey!" Maria said cheerfully. "We were hoping you and Mickie would join us for coffee or something before the you and Adam have to leave for the show."

Chris sighed. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think now's a really good time..." he began.

"Actually, yeah, that sounds good," Mickie said, getting to her feet and walking over to the door to join her three friends. "I could actually get out for a little bit. It would probably do me some good."

"Are you sure, Mick?" Chris asked, looking at her with concern.

"Yeah," Mickie answered with a smile. "If you don't mind."

Chris shook his head as Adam and Maria exchanged smiles and high-fives. "I don't if that's what you want to do," he told her. When Mickie nodded, he returned the smile. "Then all right. Let's get coffee."

They left shortly after and found a table near the back of the coffee shop that was about a block away from the hotel, trying to avoid attention as much as they could. Mickie found that spending time with some of her closest friends and just talking and laughing together was one of the best things she could have done. A lot of the stress she had felt even earlier that day felt like it had lessened considerably. Chris felt a small smile appear on his face as he watched her, taking a sip of his coffee. Seeing her happy again made a weight lift off his chest.

Maria looked from Mickie to Chris and back, pulling out her cell phone to check the time. "Oh, crap, you know what?" she suddenly said. "I was supposed to call Phil before he leaves. I'll be right back." She set her hand on Mickie's shoulder for a minute as she got to her feet, smiling at her before she crossed the coffee shop and stepped outside.

"And, I'm a little hungry," Adam muttered, trying to hide his smile when Chris looked at him with surprise. "I'm going to get a quick something to eat before the show."

"Adam, what..." Chris began, but he stopped when the other man gave him a slight smirk.

"You'll thank me later," he mouthed before standing in line at the counter, glancing back at Chris and Mickie. He knew how his friend felt about her, though he had never admitted it. Maria had similar views on Mickie's feelings toward Chris, and they both knew all they needed was a push in the right direction. So far, their plan was working out pretty well.

Chris smiled nervously as he looked back at Mickie, clearing his throat. "So, uh... is your coffee good?" he asked.

Mickie returned the smile, and he noticed it was a true one. "Yeah, it is," she answered. Then, she sighed, but the smile lingered on her face. "Look, Chris, I know what's going on."

"Yeah, I think I do too," Chris muttered, laughing a little.

_"Yeah, it's plain to see_

_That, baby, you're beautiful_

_And there's nothing wrong with you_

_It's me- I'm a freak_

_But thanks for lovin' me_

_Cause you're doing it perfectly..."_

A slight blush crept up to Mickie's cheeks. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually kind of glad for Adam and Maria's rather childish set up," she said with a slight laugh of her own. "Otherwise..."

"What?" Chris wondered curiously.

Mickie sighed, reaching forward and taking Chris' hand in hers. "Otherwise I probably wouldn't have the courage to do what I'm about to do," she told him. "I mean, it took all of this to get me to realize it, but I just want to say I-!"

But Mickie was cut off when Chris leaned forward and met her lips in a soft kiss. She looked at him with surprise when he pulled back a little, seeing he was giving her a small smile. "That's all you had to do," he muttered.

After a moment, Mickie smiled back, closing the small gap between them with another kiss. To her, the way their lips moved together just felt right, and though her future was still filled with uncertainty, she had the feeling she and Chris would make it through.

**Author's Note**: So, Chris was the guy in the beginning of every chapter. And even though things are seeming to be happy now... not sure how long that will last. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. I again don't own "Total Eclipse of the Heart." That would be Bonnie Tyler.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Thank you so much to **lizzy-beth-lizzy**, **BQuinn**, **devin**, **Kennedy2006**, **HappyasHell**, **Marrymebrandon**, **Kity-Kat1**, **JVottoGurl**, **an anonymous goose **( :P lol!), **FormerlyKnownasJackie**, **WWECenaFan**, **QueenofQueens**, and **x0allisonqt0x **for your reviews! I'm glad you all loved Melina, lol! Shane deserved it. Anyway, a note before you read. This is the longest chapter of the story, not that I think you guys mind, lol. It's also the most important since your questions will be answered. But I also have to say it's the saddest. So, without any further ado, here's the next chapter!

_Chapter 9_

"Have fun at the pay-per-view," Mickie said with a smile, leaning in the doorway of Chris' hotel room. "I expect you guys to still be champions when you come back."

Chris laughed a little, situating his bag on his good shoulder. "Well, I can't make any promises, but I can say our chances are pretty good," he replied with a wink, glancing at Adam standing next to him. "Right?"

Adam pretended to think about it, tapping his bottom lip. "Mmm... yeah, I think we got this," he agreed with a smirk.

Mickie smiled at the two men before turning her attention solely to Chris, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "Let me know how the match goes when you're done," she muttered, resting her head on his chest. "Have fun."

Chris ran his hand through her hair as she looked up at him, leaning down and giving her a soft but loving kiss. "I'll give you a call," he told her. "See you after the show."

"Bye." Mickie's smile lingered as she watched Chris and Adam walk down the hall as they headed for the stairs, placing her hand lightly on her stomach. Since she first found out she was pregnant, she felt as though she was starting to feel love toward the life forming inside of her. It was a connection she couldn't explain, but it was one she was glad she had.

Once the tag team was out of sight, Mickie turned to walk back into the room but was stopped by a hand landing on her shoulder. She quickly looked behind her, gasping quietly when she saw Shane. "What do you want?" she asked.

Shane released his hold on her shoulder, but there was a hint of anger still in his eyes. "Who does the kid belong to?" he demanded, ignoring her question.

Mickie shook her head slightly. "I... I don't know," she muttered. "I..."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Shane's voice rose a little, causing Mickie to flinch. "I gave a damn blood test! And you don't know?"

"They... they can't say for sure right now," Mickie stuttered. "You and... and Chris have the same blood type, and..."

Shane looked at her for a long moment, his fist clenching tightly. "Damn it," he hissed while Mickie backed further into the room. "When will you find out?"

Mickie stepped behind the door, only peeking out as she put space between herself and the younger McMahon. "When the baby develops more and they can get a DNA reading," she explained quietly. "It'll take time, Shane."

"Well, time is something I don't have," Shane said. "If that child proves to be mine..."

But his threat trailed off when Shane suddenly looked up at the end of the hallway. Mickie snuck a glance out of the room, seeing John and Melina were coming toward them as they headed for the staircase as well. A dark look appeared in Shane's eyes when he looked at the Paparazzi Princess, who returned it, before he walked away from the hotel room. Mickie sighed with relief as Shane disappeared from sight, turning to look at John and Melina as they slowed a little in front of her. Melina gave her a small smile as John nodded, and Mickie felt a slight smile appear on her face as they continued on.

Sighing, she shut the door and sat against it, feeling a thin line of tears form in her eyes. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, going through her contacts until she came to Chris' number, but she hesitated before she called it. Though he wouldn't be the one driving, Chris had a pay-per-view tag team title defense to prepare for, and she didn't want to bother him with what had just happened. Shane hadn't hurt her in any way, so it wasn't a big deal. It was something she could talk to him about after the show.

Mickie got to her feet and put her phone back in her pocket, collapsing onto Chris' bed. She closed her eyes, a smile appearing on her face as his subtle scent from the pillow surrounded her. It was strange for her to think how her relationship with who she had once considered her best friend had grown so much over a short period of time, but it felt so natural to her. She placed her hand on her stomach again, remembering what he had said about being there for her even if the child wasn't his.

"Take my word for it, little guy," Mickie muttered. "You're going to have the best dad in the world."

* * *

As soon as Shane arrived at the arena, he stormed down the hallway to the room his father used as his office. But before he could knock, the door opened as Chris stepped out. The two men stared each other down for a moment before Chris smirked, walking down the hallway in the direction of the locker rooms. The younger McMahon watched him until he was out of sight, his eyes narrowing slightly, before he entered the room.

"We need to talk," Shane said, immediately approaching the table his father was sitting behind.

Vince looked up from the papers he was looking over, seemingly unfazed by the abrupt tone. "About what?" he asked, straightening up in his chair.

Shane leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. "I want to discuss Melina Perez's title match tonight," he answered quietly. "I've been... thinking about her title reign, and I was hoping we could rework her match and have her drop it. It would be a good time to give someone else that opportunity."

"Well, I regret to tell you that you no longer have that authority, Shane," Vince muttered, taking off the glasses he used for reading. "Or any authority for that matter."

"I don't understand," Shane replied. "What do you mean I have no authority?"

Vince sighed, getting to his feet to face the younger McMahon. "You're my son, which makes this hard on me. But I have to do the right thing," he told him. "Shane, you're fired."

"_Fired_?" Shane repeated, horrified. "What do you mean fired? You can't do that!"

Anger quickly passed over Vince's face. "I mean you're out of the WWE," he said firmly. "And I sure as hell can! You may be my family, but the incident with Miss James has been brought to my attention. You could have criminal charges against you for that, and I'm not having that in my company. I'm sorry, Shane. You're gone."

Shane stared at the WWE chairman with a dark look in his eye for a long moment. Then, he remembered when Chris had confronted him at the hotel, threatened him into getting the blood test done, and how he had left the office right as he got there. He sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair as he dropped his gaze from his father's. "If that's the way you want it," he muttered, his tone eerily calm.

"Yes," Vince muttered, his voice quieter but still as authoritative. "It's not what I want, but it's what needs to be done."

"Very well." Shane straightened up, and Vince watched him carefully as he crossed the room to the door. The younger McMahon paused with his hand on the door handle, looking over his shoulder with an unreadable expression on his face. "Later, Dad."

Vince didn't say anything in return, only sighing and looking away as Shane stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

"So you got all that settled with Vince?" Adam wondered as he and Chris headed toward their locker rooms.

Chris nodded. "Yeah, everything's settled," Chris told him, wincing slightly as he moved his stiff right shoulder. "It needed to be done."

"I agree," Adam muttered as they reached his locker room. "I'm glad you talked to him. It's about time."

"Yeah. And he assured me he'd take the right course of action," Chris added. "So that's a good thing."

Adam sighed as he pushed open the door. "He'll see it through, I'm sure," he replied. "Well, I'm going to get changed for the match tonight. Should I meet you out here?"

"In a minute," Chris told him with a smile. "I need to fill up my water bottle first."

"Okay, Man."

Chris watched as Adam stepped into their locker room, shutting the door behind him before he continued to make his way down the hallway. He sighed heavily as he walked. Talking with Adam made him feel talking to Vince had been the right decision since now, the right measures could be taken.

Suddenly, Chris gasped with surprise when strong hands grabbed his right arm from behind, causing him to drop his bag. Then, he screamed with pain when his sore shoulder was wrenched back, causing a searing pain to spread through his arm and neck as he collapsed to his knees. He cried out when his attacker pulled it again, the pain causing him to feel dizzy as darkness appeared at the corner of his eyes.

"Stop..." Chris muttered through his gasps for breath, clenching his teeth together as his shoulder throbbed in protest to the harsh movements.

"You cost me my job!" the unmistakable voice of Shane McMahon said angrily, torquing his shoulder a little more until he heard a gasp of pain. "Threatening me to get the blood test wasn't enough for you, huh? You had to talk to my dad too and tell him what happened with Mickie?"

Chris closed his eyes tightly as the burning pain continued to spread through his neck and arm, but he still managed to turn his head enough to glare at the younger McMahon. "I have no idea... what you mean," he replied quietly. "But you deserve to be fired after what happened. I commend whoever told your dad." He screamed again when Shane twisted his shoulder more.

"I don't believe that for a minute. This is all your fault!" the younger McMahon hissed. "It's because of you that I-!"

But his sentence was cut off when he suddenly cried out with surprise. Chris looked up when his arm was released, watching as Adam pulled Shane away from him. "Get out of here," the Rated R Superstar muttered threateningly. "Or you can add assault to your charges."

Shane glared at the other man angrily for a long moment. He then looked down at Chris, who was watching from the floor, before turning and storming down the hallway. Adam sighed, running his hand through his hair as he watched the younger McMahon leave, his eyes narrowing slightly when he saw John Hennigan was standing at the end of the hall but quickly walked away, before reaching down and grabbing Chris' left arm to help him to his feet.

"You okay?" he wondered.

Chris nodded, though he winced when his shoulder and neck still throbbed painfully. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he told him quietly, moving it around a little. "I'll take some aspirin and be ready in time for our match."

Adam looked at his friend carefully. "Are you sure?" he pressed. "I didn't really see what Shane was doing, but it sounded like whatever it was hurt a lot."

"I'm sure," Chris assured him, forcing a smile. "Shane was just mad that Daddy fired him, I guess... But I'll go change now... get ready."

"If you're sure..." Adam watched as Chris started walking back to their locker room before slowly starting to follow after him. He kept a close eye on him, the other man's pain not going unnoticed. He knew the ability his friend had to absorb punishment, but he hoped he wasn't pushing himself too far.

* * *

"What's all this?" Mickie asked with a smile as Maria set a couple thick books on the bed. The redhead diva had planned on coming to keep her company while Chris and Phil were at the pay-per-view event, but she hadn't her to bring anything.

Maria smiled as well. "I borrowed these from a friend," she answered. "I thought they'd be fun to look through."

Mickie picked up one of the books, laughing a little when she saw it was a collection of baby names. "With all the stress I've been in, I haven't even thought about this," she admitted.

"That's what I figured." Maria sat down on the bed, Mickie doing the same. "But now that you're feeling a bit better, it can't hurt to get a few in mind. And you and Chris can compare names later, both boys and girls since I know it's too early to tell which yours is."

"You know, that really does sound fun," Mickie muttered, the smile lingering on her face as she started looking over the first couple pages in the boy's list. "I've just been so scared over the past month I've forgotten about the simple joys of being a mother-to-be."

Maria looked at her sadly for a moment before she smiled, picking up another one of the books to start going through it. "So, are you thinking a more unique name, or something a little more old-fashioned, or a bit more common?" she wondered.

Mickie glanced at her friend with a grin. "I have no idea," she replied. "My plan is to just go through this and find names I like."

"That works too," Maria said as she looked back at her, both starting to laugh.

Then, Mickie reached over and picked up her cell phone from the small table next to the bed when it started to ring, her eyes narrowing slightly when she didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

_"Hello, Miss James. This is Doctor Carlson," _a familiar male voice said. _"Is this a good time?"_

Mickie blinked with surprise, recognizing the voice of the doctor who had cared for her when Chris brought her to the hospital. "Yeah, it's fine," she replied, seeing Maria looking at her curiously. "Is everything okay?"

_"Yes, everything's fine," _the doctor told her. _"I have some good news for you."_

"Oh, really?" Mickie asked. "What is it?"

What she heard next was something Mickie did not expect to hear.

_"Our lab made a slight mistake when analyzing the two blood samples," _the doctor explained. _"I can tell you who the father of your child is."_

* * *

Chris sat on the bench in his locker room, taking a deep breath as he moved his sore, stiff shoulder around to try to loosen it up. The pain hadn't died down as much as he would have hoped after the assault by Shane, but it wasn't unbearable. It certainly wasn't enough to prevent him from from performing in front of the sold out crowd. But he knew as soon as their match was done, he was going to have Adam drive him back to the hotel so he could rest up.

Then, he looked up when he heard a knock on his door, and he pushed himself to his feet as he started to walk across the room. But he suddenly stopped, putting his hand to his head when a feeling of dizziness overcame him, and closed his eyes as he waited for it to pass. It did a minute later, and Chris walked to the door and opened it, seeing his tag team partner was standing on the other side.

"Ready?" Adam asked with a slight smile, his two championships over his shoulder.

Chris nodded, but then he blinked a few times when his vision suddenly blurred, making him unable to see the other man clearly. "Uh, yeah..." he answered quietly.

Adam's eyes narrowed slightly with concern when Chris rubbed his eyes. "You sure you're feeling all right?" he wondered. "You seem out of it..."

After a moment, Chris raised his gaze back to his friend's troubled green eyes. "Yeah, fine," he told him with a smile before walking back to the bench and picking up this titles. "Let's go retain those championships."

Sighing, Adam watched his the other man left his locker room, shaking his head slightly as he followed him. The tag team made their way backstage, waiting to hear their music start. Chris stared blankly ahead of him, unsure of how much time had passed before he felt Adam nudge his arm, hearing their entrance theme play. He could see the concern in his friend's eyes, but he tried to quell it with a small smile.

"Let's get out there," he muttered, stepping out onto the ramp with Adam as they were met with boos from the audience. His tag team partner almost taunted the audience as they made their way to the ring with the championships he had on his shoulders, but as to his character, Chris pretty much ignored them completely. They stood in the ring for a moment, listening to the crowd continue to boo them, but they didn't care. Chris glanced at Adam, seeing he was smirking at the thousands in attendance that night, but he just wanted to get this match over as quickly as possible.

A minute later, "It's a New Day" started as their opponents for that night walked out onto the ramp, and Chris and Adam watched confidently as Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase made their way to the ring. Legacy was one of the tag teams they had defeated to win the Unified Tag Team Championships, and it was only going to be one of their many title defenses coming up.

Before Chris knew it, the bell to start the match was rung, and he found himself standing in their corner while Adam started off against Ted. The action in the ring was a blur to him as his tag team partner faced the younger superstar, and he sighed as he ran his hand over his face. The pain in his shoulder was still constant and was only steadily getting worse. He watched as Adam went for a spear on the freshly tagged in Cody but missed, just hoping the rest of the match would go by just as fast.

But then, as he listened to the crowd around him, Chris gasped quietly when the muscles in his right shoulder around a spot at the base of his neck started cramping, and he tried to keep his wince of pain hidden from the other men in the ring as well as the audience. His concern only rose when he suddenly felt as though breathing was a little more difficult, the room spinning a little once again. He had no idea what was wrong with him, but he knew he had to somehow tell Adam that something was off.

Adam hit the mat hard after a kick from Cody, and he pushed himself to his knees as he started to crawl toward Chris to make a tag of his own. But he paused for a second when he saw the concerned look in his tag team partner's eyes, and he immediately knew something was wrong. He got to his feet and reached toward Chris to bring him into the fray as the match called for, noticing Cody was waiting for him to do so out of the corner of his eye.

Chris saw Adam reach out for him, and he took a deep breath when he knew the sooner he got in, the sooner the match could be done with. But then, as he tried reach out to tag his hand, his eyes widened with horror when he found he couldn't.

"What's wrong?" Adam asked in a whisper as he got a little closer to Chris, worried when he saw the fear on his face.

"I... I can't move my arm..." Chris answered, looking at Adam anxiously as he tried to raise his right arm to reach for him again. "I can't... and it hurts..."

Adam looked at his friend with alarm, quickly turning to the referee when the man approached to see what the delay was. "Stop the match," he told him quickly. "He can't continue."

Chris hardly heard the bell to end the match ring, the murmurings of the crowd around them, or even the announcement about how they were still the champions because the match couldn't continue. A thin line of tears formed in his eyes when he was still unable to raise his right arm at all as the muscles surrounding the spot in his lower neck continued to furiously cramp. There was no pain in that one spot, but it seemed as all feeling had left it.

Then, he looked at Adam as he climbed out of the ring, reaching up and gently pulling him down from the ring apron before helping him up the ramp toward the back. "I'm taking you to the emergency room," he muttered as soon as they were backstage and heading toward their locker rooms. "You need to tell me everything that's going on for when we get there."

Swallowing nervously, Chris nodded slightly. "Aside from not having any movement in my shoulder, the muscles are cramping," he told him quietly. "And... I have no feeling in this small spot in my neck. There's nothing... I'm having a little hard time breathing, a little dizzy..."

"So much for a strained muscle." Adam sat Chris down on the bench in his locker room, not even bothering to change out of his ring gear as he quickly slipped on a light sweatshirt. "How long did you know it was something more?"

Chris laughed slightly despite the pain and fear he felt, looking up at the other man. "You'll hate my answer," he said.

Adam looked back down at him with a raised eyebrow before he shook his head. "You know what, I don't even want to know," he replied as he grabbed his bag and the keys out to his rental car. He then started for the door to go to his tag team partner's locker room to grab his bag as well.

"You know the situation, Adam," Chris muttered, wincing slightly as he pushed himself to his feet. "Mickie's health wasn't good. She could have been pregnant with my child. I was trying to take care of her."

Sighing, Adam paused and looked over his shoulder at Chris. "Did you ever think a way you could have helped her was to make sure you were healthy too?" he asked quietly. When Chris lowered his gaze, he opened the door. "Come on. Let's just get you taken care of before it gets any worse."

* * *

When Mickie and Maria arrived at the arena to find Chris, they were immediately met with a buzz running through the backstage area like wildfire. Looking at each other with confusion, they walked through the halls while superstars and divas talked around them. Spotting a friendly face, Maria took Mickie's arm and led the way over to him.

"Hey, Phil, what's going on?" she asked, giving her boyfriend a quick hug.

Phil hugged her back, meeting her lips in a soft kiss. "I'm not exactly sure," he answered quietly, keeping his arm around her waist. "But from what I've gathered, Shane McMahon has been fired."

"What?" Mickie looked at the Straightedge Superstar with shock, almost not wanting to believe the news since it would be too good to be true. "Fired? Why?"

"I don't know all the details," Phil told her with a shrug. "The rumor I've been hearing is Chris talked to Vince shortly before it happened. I don't know if he has anything to do with it, but..."

Mickie thought over what Phil had said, remembering how Chris had assured her he wasn't going to let Shane get away with what he had done to her. Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair.

"Are you okay?" Maria wondered, noticing the concerned look that crossed her face.

"Yeah, fine," she replied, forcing a small smile. "I'm just a little worried about Chris. You know how Shane can be."

Maria bit her bottom lip. "Would Chris have said something?"

"I don't know," Mickie muttered. But before she could say anything else, she felt a hand lightly on her arm.

"Mickie?"

Not expecting that voice, Mickie looked over her shoulder and saw Melina standing behind her. "What?" she said, hoping her tone wasn't too harsh. She was worried about Chris, and the Paparazzi Princess was one of the last people she wanted to see.

Melina sighed, lowering her hand. "Can we talk?" she asked quietly.

Mickie looked at her for a long moment, sighing again as she nodded slightly. "Be right back, guys," she told Phil and Maria before following Melina away from where groups were still talking. The diva led her down a hall until she got to her locker room, stepping inside and closing the door behind them.

"You can have a seat, if you want," Melina muttered as she turned to look at Mickie and gestured to the couch.

"That's okay, I'll stand," Mickie replied. "What's this about, Melina?"

Melina ran her hand through her dark hair, biting her bottom lip for a second. "I take it you've heard the news about Shane being fired?"

"So it's true?" Mickie wondered. When Melina nodded, she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "I can't believe it... That bastard deserves it."

"I agree," Melina said quietly. "But have you considered pressing charges against him after what he did?"

Mickie sighed. "No one would believe me," she muttered. "I really don't see a point."

Melina slowly reached forward, placing her hand on Mickie's arm. "We're in the same boat," she told her. When Mickie looked at her with confusion, she continued. "Shane tried doing the same thing to me. If we both pressed charges, it could lead to some legal action. Besides, Vince knows about what happened. We'd have his support."

"How does Vince know?" Mickie asked. "Did... did Chris tell him?"

"It's just a rumor going around, but that's what I heard," Melina answered. Then, she hesitated. "I've also heard Shane had a bit of a conflict with Chris. That tells me he thinks he had something to do with it."

"If you want to call an assault a conflict."

Mickie gasped quietly, not expecting the new voice since she hadn't heard the door to the locker room open. She looked over her shoulder, seeing John had joined them. "Assault?" she repeated.

John nodded. "Shane attacked Chris, saying something about how he cost him his job," he explained. "I would have stepped in, but Adam beat me to it. Once Shane left, so did I since Chris seemed to be okay."

Worry flooded through Mickie as she wrapped her arms around herself in an almost protective way. Shane had attacked Chris? "I guess he really did say something to Vince..."

But she was surprised when John ran his hand through his hair, recognizing the action that usually meant there was something he wasn't saying. "John, what is it?" she wondered.

John met her gaze, guilt crossing his face. "It wasn't Chris who told Vince about what happened to you," he muttered.

Mickie shook her head slightly. "Then who..." But her sentence trailed off as her eyes widened slightly. "It was you?"

"Something had to be done about him, Mickie," John said quietly. "Since you hadn't told me for so long, I didn't think you'd be inclined to tell anyone else either. So... I talked to Vince. I'm sorry. I should be the one Shane's mad at... not Chris."

Though a thin line of tears formed in her eyes, Mickie gave her ex-boyfriend a true smile. "I can't thank you enough for saying something, though," she told him. "Because of you, Shane's out of a job. And Chris was okay, you said?"

"As far as I know," John replied. "Last I saw him, he was on his way to his match with Adam." Then, he returned the smile. "And you're welcome, Mickie."

Mickie laughed a little, and despite the rough way they had broken their relationship off, she reached forward and wrapped her arms around him. John returned it for a long moment before they parted. Melina smiled, putting her arm around Mickie's shoulders.

"So, what do you say?" she asked. "Shall we press charges on Shane's ass? With what he did to Chris as well, I'm sure something could be done."

After another moment, Mickie met Melina's gaze as she nodded. "All right," she agreed. "I'll write a statement."

But then, her eyes narrowed slightly when her phone started to ring, and she pulled it out of her pocket. She was a little confused to see Adam's name flashing on the screen. "Hello?"

_"Mickie, can you get to the hospital?" _Adam asked heavily.

"Hospital?" Mickie repeated, the word nearly making her heart stop. "What... what's wrong?"

Adam's next words confirmed her fear.

_"It's Chris."_

* * *

_"And I need you now tonight_

_And I need you more than ever_

_And if you only hold me tight_

_We'll be holding on forever..."_

Mickie stepped out of the back of John and Melina's rental car, briefly thanking them before she ran into the hospital through the automatic door the couple dropped her off in front of. Everything was a blur to her as she was directed to Chris' room and hurried down the hallway until she found it, quickly pushing the door open.

"Chris!"

The first thing she saw was Chris leaning back on the white sheets of the propped up bed, eyes closed, while Adam, still in ring gear and a light sweatshirt, stood close by. But when he heard her voice, Chris slowly opened his eyes and turned his head toward the door as Adam looked over his shoulder. "Mick..."

Tears forming in her eyes, Mickie ran forward and hugged Chris, backing away a little when he hissed with pain. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "Are you okay?"

"It's okay," Chris said, giving her a small smile as he took her hand with his left one to keep her from going too far. "I've been better, but I should be fine. I'd hug you back, but..."

"Good." Mickie returned the smile before leaning down and giving him a soft but loving kiss. "I heard you talked to Vince, and Shane got fired, and... and what he did to you..."

Chris nodded. "I arranged to get some time off," he explained. "With the pain I was having in my shoulder plus some things I've been wanting to do with my band, and... and with you having a child on the way, I need to be there." He paused slightly. "What Shane did I guess set whatever this was off."

Mickie looked at him sadly, running her fingers lightly over his cheek. Chris closed his eyes at her touch, sighing heavily. Adam watched them sadly, placing his hand on Mickie's shoulder. But before he could say anything, the door to the room opened again, and the doctor with graying hair who had taken Chris as soon as they got to the hospital entered the room.

"I have the result of your x-rays," he said, opening the manilla folder he held in his hands. He waited until Mickie reluctantly backed away from the bed with Adam before he approached the bed. "The inability to raise your arm, loss of feeling and cramping in your shoulder, and the difficulty breathing and dizziness is a result of peripheral neuropathy."

Chris looked at the older man blankly. "I don't know what that means," he replied quietly, though he didn't like the sound of it.

The doctor looked up from his papers. "Peripheral neuropathy is a complication that results from a pinched nerve," he explained. "Have you felt some numbness, tingling, or pain in that area?"

"Yeah... it started about a month ago," Chris told him, not able to look at Adam since he knew the look he was giving him. "It was in my neck, and my shoulder felt stiff after a while."

"The pinched nerve is in the lower part of your neck, which is what's affecting your shoulder," the doctor confirmed, shutting the folder. "We have a couple of options of what we can do for it."

"What are they?" Mickie wondered, concern clear on her face about Chris' condition.

The doctor sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose for a second and glancing at Mickie before turning his attention back to Chris. "The first option is I can prescribe you with some medication," he told him. "It'll get rid of the pinched nerve over time, but you may not ever regain full mobility of your shoulder. In short, you wouldn't be able to wrestle anymore."

"And... the other option?" Chris glanced at Mickie before looking back at the doctor. He already knew he couldn't take that option.

"We could take care of the nerve through surgery," the doctor said. "But with it being in such a difficult place, there's a pretty good chance you may not make it through the procedure." He paused when he saw the fear cross Chris' face. "I'll give you some time to think it over. Let me know when you've made your decision." He gave Chris, Mickie, and Adam an apologetic smile before he turned and left the room.

Chris barely heard the door close behind the man as he stared blankly at the wall in shock. Both outlooks looked grim- he either wouldn't be able to wrestle anymore or there was a good chance he wouldn't wake up from the surgery. But putting it in perspective, he knew what his choice was.

Adam sighed, taking a tentative step forward. "Chris..." he began hesitantly. But to his surprise, the other man laughed a little as he turned to look at him, a small smile on his face.

"Well, Adam, I have learned to get any little pain I have checked out right away now," he said, a teasing tone to his voice.

Sighing, Adam shook his head slightly. But before he could say a word about how he could have smacked Chris, Mickie quickly moved forward and sat down on the bed next to him, taking his hands in hers. "Chris, I... I don't know what I can say..." she muttered, tears shining in her eyes.

"It's okay, Mick," Chris replied quietly, squeezing her hands reassuringly. "I've already made my choice."

Mickie looked at him with surprise as a single tear fell from her eye. "You have?"she asked. "What?"

Chris looked at her stray tear sadly before looking up at his friend. "Adam, can you get the doctor?"

"Yeah, sure," Adam said, sighing as he turned and left the room.

"What did you decide?" Mickie repeated as soon as the door closed behind him, looking back at Chris.

Chris gave her a small smile. "I'm getting the surgery," he told her.

Mickie felt her heart nearly stop. "Chris, please, think this through," she replied anxiously, tightening her hands around his as more tears fell from her eyes. "There... there has to be something else we can do."

But Chris slowly shook his head. "I have no choice, Mick," he muttered, keeping his tone calm. "If I can't wrestle anymore, I can't provide for you and the baby. And if I have limited mobility in my arm, there really isn't much else I can do. I need to get this procedure done."

Mickie shook her head too as tears fell more freely on her eyes. "Please, Chris... there has to be another way. Please..." She took a deep shuddering breath. "I needed to talk to you about the baby. I know who the dad is."

Chris looked at her with shock. "I thought we had to wait until the baby was more developed to be able to tell since Shane and I have the same blood type."

"They made a mistake while analyzing the samples," Mickie explained, a small smile appearing on her face through her tears as she ran one hand over his cheek. "It's you, Chris. You're the father." Then, she took his left hand and placed it lightly on her stomach.

"I..." Chris looked up at Mickie in disbelief. He was truly the father of Mickie's child. There were no words he could say to express the joy he was feeling. A thin line of tears formed in his eyes, but he forced them back as determination crossed his face. "Mick, this is the best news I could have heard," he told her quietly, reaching up his left hand and placing it on her cheek. "But it just enforces my decision to get this surgery. I need to be able to provide for the woman I love and my child."

Mickie felt a sob escape from her as she looked at Chris' tranquil expression. But before she could say anything, the door opened as the doctor and Adam came back into the room. "You've made your decision?" the older man asked.

Chris nodded. "I'll have the surgery," he answered confidently.

The doctor sighed as he nodded while Adam's face saddened. "Very well. I'll get a stretcher."

As soon as the doctor left, Chris turned back to Mickie when he heard another quiet sob escape from her. "Mick, please..." he began, wiping the tears that rolled down her cheeks away.

But Mickie shook her head. "Please, Chris, you can't do this," she murmured through her tears. "You... you promised you would always be there. You can't leave me. You heard what the doctor said. What if you don't... What if you don't make it?" The last question broke her heart to voice.

Chris gave her a small smile, but he couldn't stop tears from rising to his own eyes. "I will, Mick," he whispered, bringing her closer as he gently kissed her forehead. "I'll always be there for you. I'll come back to you, I promise. I'll make it through this for you and our child. Mick..." He paused for a minute, fighting to keep his tears back as he closed his eyes when Mickie rested her forehead against his, still silently sobbing. "I love you."

"I... I love you too." Mickie then met his lips in a soft kiss, which Chris returned with more intensity.

Adam watched them, crestfallen, hoping that what he said was true. Chris was a good friend, and he knew Mickie would be absolutely heartbroken if he didn't make it through. He then glanced next to him when the door opened and the doctor returned with a couple assistants and a stretcher.

"No... no..." Mickie said quietly but anxiously, tightening her hand around Chris'. "Please... No..."

"I'll be just fine, Mick," Chris replied with a smile as he slowly sat up when they brought the stretcher to the bed, almost reluctantly releasing Chris' hand. "This will be a good thing. I promise."

Mickie stood up and moved away from the bed, only able to watch as the doctor helped Chris onto the stretcher. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as he was rolled toward the door, his eyes remaining on her as the smile lingered on his face until he was out of sight. She then sank weakly onto the bed with her face buried in her hands, hardly feeling as Adam sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her in a comforting way, not caring about anything else as she sobbed freely.

* * *

Chris stared up at the ceiling as he listened to the doctors preparing for the surgery around him. He knew the risks this procedure entailed, but he also knew it had to be done. If it wasn't, he wouldn't be able to care for the family he would soon be a part of, and that concerned him more than anything.

Or so he thought. Chris felt tears burning in his eyes again as he imagined what his life would be like if he hadn't chosen to get the surgery. He would constantly be in some amount of pain, he wouldn't have full mobility of his arm, he probably wouldn't be able to hold his child.

Though on the other hand, what if the surgery went wrong? The doctor had told him there was a pretty good chance he wouldn't make it through. What would happen to Mickie and their child then? He hadn't voiced his own fears aloud, but he was terrified of the thought he may never wake up.

But he knew he had to have it done. He knew the alternative, and that would be worse for the love of his life and the child he knew he already loved. He had to have faith the surgery would be successful and he would still be there for them.

Then, Chris saw a doctor with a mask over his face appear in his line of vision. "We're going to apply the anesthesia to begin the procedure," he said. "Are you ready?"

Sighing heavily, Chris nodded. "Yes," he replied in nearly a whisper.

He could see the look of sympathy that appeared in the doctor's eyes. "All right. See you when you wake up," he told him, raising a mask and placing it on his face.

Chris felt the gas starting to take effect almost immediately, and he looked away from the doctor's face at the bright lights that had been turned on above him. His vision started to blur as his eyes began to feel heavy, his breathing slowing as he felt much more relaxed.

_I love you, Mick... _was the last thought that crossed his mind as his eyes slowly closed.

_"Turn around bright eyes..."_

**Author's Note**: I warned you! Lol. So, Chris is the dad, but will he survive? That will be revealed in the next chapter. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. I don't own the lyrics to "You Spin Me Right Round." Originally, it belongs to Dead or Alive, but the version I used belongs to Dope.

**Author's Note**: Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone had a great day! Thank you so much to **HappyasHell**, **Mattaggot**, **Hailey Egan**, **JVottoGurl**, **BQuinn**, **Marrymebrandon**, **.xx**, **QueenofQueens**, **WWECenaFan**, **devin**, **FormerlyKnownasJackie**, **KityKat-1**, **Kennedy2006**, **x0allisonqt0x**, and **xxdarkvampireangelxx** for your reviews! I take it back. I will say the question of whether or not Chris will survive isn't fully answered here, but there will be a lot in here that you guys have been wanting. So, enjoy!

_Chapter 10_

Mickie sat in the passenger seat of Adam's rental car, staring blankly out at the night through the window. Everything was a blur to her as they drove, her mind only on the man they had left at the hospital. Chris was in the middle of a procedure that could either get rid of the complication from the pinched nerve or kill him. She placed her hand on her stomach nervously as she sighed and rested her forehead on the cool glass. She was terrified- no longer about being pregnant, but because it was uncertain whether or not her child would have a father.

Adam slowed to a stop at a red light, sighing as he looked over at Mickie. "It was either this or hospital food, Mickie," he muttered, concern laced in his tone. "You have to eat something."

"I know," Mickie replied quietly, glancing back at him. "I just..." Her sentence trailed off. She knew he was right and she needed to eat, but she just wished she could have been with Chris and know how he was doing.

"Is there anywhere you want to go in particular?" Adam asked, noticing the light was about to change.

Mickie slowly shook her head. "Just go to the nearest fast food restaurant or something, please," she answered quietly.

Adam nodded, beginning to drive again as he looked around for any restaurants. Mickie looked at him for a long moment before running her hand through her hair and turning to the window in front of her. She knew Adam was just concerned about her, and she hoped he didn't think she was brushing that off since she did appreciate it. She was just afraid for the man she loved.

Then, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket when she felt it ringing, her eyes narrowing slightly when she saw John's name flashing on the screen. "Hello?" She noticed Adam glance at her out of the corner of her eye but didn't pay much attention.

_"Hey, Mickie. How's Chris?"_

Mickie was surprised to hear the female voice on the other end instead. "Not too good, Melina," she answered with a sigh. "He had a major complication from a pinched nerve, which would have resulted in him losing almost all of the mobility in his arm. He's in surgery right now, but... it's possible he might not make it through." The last part of her sentence completely broke her heart to say.

There was a short pause on the other end. _"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry," _Melina muttered. _"Do you have any news on how he's doing in the surgery?"_

"No, I don't," Mickie told her, a thin line of tears forming in her eyes. "Adam and I are on our way to get something quick to eat."

_"Since you're out, do you want to meet with me and John?" _Melina wondered. _"We're at the Wendy's not too far from the hospital. If you want, we can write our statements out."_

Mickie thought about her offer for a long moment. She really wasn't in the mood for much company other than Adam, but the A-List Diva had a good point. They could press charges against Shane, and at least she would feel like she was accomplishing something since the younger McMahon had attacked Chris as well.

"Sure, Melina," she finally said. "That sounds like a plan."

* * *

_"You spin me right round, baby, right round_

_Like a record, baby, right round, round, round_

_You spin me right round, baby, right round_

_Like a record baby, right round, round, round..."_

Adam pulled into the parking lot of the Wendy's Melina told Mickie to meet her at, finding a spot near the back and shutting the car off. He turned to look at her with a quiet sigh. "Ready?" he asked.

Mickie nodded, opening the door. "I want to get these damn charges pressed," she answered, stepping out into the night and shutting the door.

A small smirk appeared on Adam's face as he stepped out too, locking up the car before walking with Mickie toward the restaurant. When they pushed open the door, they saw Melina sitting with John at a table in the corner to avoid as much attention as possible and made their way over. The Paparazzi Princess smiled when she saw them.

"Hey, glad you guys came," she said, gesturing to the two empty chairs at their table. "Did you want to get anything before we start?"

Mickie returned the smile as she sat next to Melina, Adam across from her next to John. "That's why we're out in the first place," she replied.

"Do you want me to get it while you guys talk?" Adam wondered. "Just tell me what you want."

Sighing quietly, Mickie nodded. "Um, just a small order of french fries and a cheeseburger would be good for me," she told him. "And a small drink. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Adam got to his feet and walked toward the counter to place their orders. Melina watched him for a minute before turning her attention back to Mickie.

"Okay, so, we'll write our statements," she muttered, pulling a pocket notebook and pen out of her purse. "John, do you have anything to write with by any chance? I don't have a second pen..."

"Yeah, in the car," John said. "I'll go grab it."

"Thanks." Melina smiled as John stood, leaning down to give her a quick kiss before he headed toward the door. Mickie stared after him, looking back at Melina when she heard her sigh. "I'm sorry about that, Mickie..."

But Mickie gave her a small smile. "It's okay, Melina."

Melina met her gaze, surprised. Then, a small smile appeared on her own face as she tore out two blank pages from the notebook. "So, do you want to start, or should I?"

Mickie ran her hand through her hair, but before she could say anything, she looked up when she heard the door to the restaurant open. Her stomach dropped when she saw it was Shane McMahon. "You're kidding me..."

"What is he doing here?" Melina asked quietly, her eyes narrowing as the man looked around the restaurant.

"I don't know," Mickie answered, glancing up at the counter and seeing Adam was still waiting in line to order. "But I don't like it."

Melina shook her head slightly, sighing when the younger McMahon's eyes landed on their table and began to walk toward them. "Damn it."

Mickie felt the same way but didn't voice it, instead forcing a smile on her face when Shane stopped next to them. "What can we do for ya?" she wondered in an overly friendly manner. "Heard ya got fired. Such a shame."

Shane's eyes narrowed as he leaned on the table. "It's because of you I'm out of a job," he muttered. "You and Chris." Then, he moved hie gaze to the diva next to her. "And then you. Don't get me started with you... You're lucky you're still champion."

Melina gave him a slight smirk. "Well, unlucky for you, Mickie and I have finally had enough of you," she countered, gesturing to the slips of paper in front of them. "Firing wasn't enough for us. Some real action needs to be taken, especially after what you did to Chris. We're pressing charges." Mickie noticed she had used the word _we_, which made her feel a bit more secure in her decision.

The younger McMahon's face contorted with fury. He reached for the paper in front of Melina, but she quickly covered it and pulled it closer to her. Shane's frustration grew when he saw the triumphant gleam in the Paparazzi Princess' eye, but then, a smirk spread across his own face.

"You know, I may be out of WWE, but I still have connections," he said, a threat woven into his tone. "One word, and you could still gone."

Melina's confidence visibly waned. "Wh... what?" she asked unsurely.

Seeing his words were having the desired effect, Shane's smirk only broadened as he nodded. "Oh, yeah, sweetheart," he answered quietly. "If you want to press those charges, go right ahead. But you can kiss your championship, your career, goodbye. Or how about your boyfriend? That would be a shame. He has so much potential. Could you let his career be cut short? It's up to you."

"I... I can't..." Melina murmured, her eyes filled with concern as she shook her head slightly.

Mickie sighed when she saw Shane was causing Melina to falter, reaching over and wrapping her hand around hers. The A-List Diva looked at her with surprise, and she gave her a confident smile before turning to look at the younger McMahon. She knew what had to be done. "I'm not afraid of you, Shane. You can't hold that over me," she told him. "My career's already over. We're pressing those charges. It's about time I did something."

Shane glared at Mickie, but her gaze didn't dwindle. Then, he leaned a little closer to her, and though she gave him a strange look, she didn't back away. "How's Chris doing?" he wondered. "Heard a little rumor going around at the arena that he was brought to the hospital. That can't be good, huh? That was probably my fault."

Everything was a blur to Mickie. If she had been thinking, she wouldn't have done what she found herself doing. But before she knew what was happening, she released Melina's hand and got to her feet, watching with a sense of satisfaction as her hand connected with the younger McMahon's face in a sharp slap.

"Damn right!" she snapped, seeing his shocked expression. "It is your fault! Chris is in surgery right now because of you! He's getting it for me... and my child. If he dies because of it, it's all on your head, McMahon. I can guarantee that."

Shane's eyes narrowed slightly, Mickie continuing to glare at him angrily. But before either one could say anything more, Melina placed her hands on Mickie's shoulders in an almost restraining way.

"It's not worth it," she muttered quietly enough so only she would hear, hoping to calm her down. "He can't do anything."

Mickie glanced back at her, sighing heavily. Then, both she and Melina looked up when they heard footsteps, and they watched as Adam hurried over to them with a tray in his hands. "What's going on?" he asked, eyeing the younger McMahon warily.

"Nothing, Adam," Mickie answered quietly, moving her gaze from Shane to Adam and back. "Shane was just about to leave. Weren't you?"

Shane glared at Mickie and Melina, but sighed when he saw the angry, almost accusing look Adam was giving him. "Just wait," he said, eyes on Mickie once more before turning and walking away from the group. John came back into the restaurant just as Shane reached the door, and he glared at the younger McMahon when he shoved roughly past him out into the night.

"You guys all right?" he said when he joined the group.

"Yeah, we're fine," Melina replied, taking the pen from him as John wound his arm around her waist. "Just had a bit of a discussion with Shane, that's all."

Mickie nodded slightly in agreement, taking a deep, calming breath. "Let's just get these statements done." Then, she glanced at Adam. "I think you and John should sign off on these for the assault charges since you guys witnessed what happened with Chris..."

Adam set the tray with his and Mickie's meals on the table. "Yeah, sure, that's fine," he told her, a slight smirk on his face. "Anything to get McMahon's ass behind bars."

* * *

Shane pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, quickly finding a spot close to the door. He was furious, planning on just grabbing his things and leaving so he could deal with Mickie. He wouldn't let her get the best of him.

But as he walked toward the building after he locked up his rental car, he stopped with surprise when he saw a police car pull up near him with its lights flashing. "What's this?" he wondered as two officers stepped out.

The blond-haired policeman who stepped out from behind the wheel took out his pair of handcuffs. "Shane McMahon, you're under arrest," he said as he and his partner walked toward them.

"On what charges?" Shane demanded angrily, holding his hands up as he took a couple steps back from them. "You can't do this to me!"

The two men stopped for a moment, the head officer signaling the other to stay behind before he walked closer to the younger McMahon. "On the charges of rape, attempted rape, and assault," he told him, reaching out and grabbing his arm. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can..."

Though he struggled a little as he tuned out the explanation of his rights, Shane growled angrily when the officer pulled his arms behind him and cuffed his hands. He knew who was responsible for this.

Then, he saw with surprise that Mickie and Adam were leaning against their rental car not too far away, both with matching smiles on their faces. "You are going to pay for this, Mickie!" Shane shouted angrily as the two officers began to lead him to the squad car. "You hear me? You are not going to get away with this!" The younger officer opened the back door while the man they had just arrested continued to yell, his partner pushing him down into the seat before closing the door behind him and muffling his words.

"He never shuts up, does he?" Mickie asked with a slight laugh, seeing through the window of the car Shane was still speaking angrily to her. "I feel bad for the officers who have to put up with him."

"Guess not," Adam answered as the policemen began to drive away. "Who knows, though? This may do him some good."

Mickie shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she agreed. Then, her smile broadened. "Though I have to say this isn't a sight I would have missed for the world."

Adam chuckled, placing his hand on her shoulder. "After everything that's happened, I don't blame you in the least," he muttered. "I have to say I enjoyed that myself. He had it coming."

"Definitely." But then, Mickie's eyes narrowed slightly when Adam's phone began to ring, watching as he pulled it out to check the number. His expression darkened, but he still quickly answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Who is it?" Mickie wondered quietly, to which Adam just rose his hand as he listened carefully to whatever the person on the other line was saying.

"Yes, I'm the one who brought him in," he continued. He paused for what felt like a long time, responding only with the proper "uh-huh" or "yeah" when needed, and the worry on his face since he had answered made Mickie feel anxious. "All right. We'll be there soon. Thank you. Bye."

Mickie watched as he sighed when he ended the call, putting the phone back in his pocket. "So, who was it?" she pressed. "Is everything okay?"

Adam met her gaze, and what concerned Mickie even more was she couldn't read the look in his eye. "It's about Chris."

* * *

_Chris slowly opened his eyes, finding himself standing in the living room of what appeared to be a small apartment. He looked around, seeing in the dim lighting that though it was clean, it wasn't in the best condition. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took a couple small steps closer to the wall where a single picture was hung, seeing with confusion it was of him and Mickie back when she had started her career in the WWE._

_Then, he heard a soft, high-pitched laugh, and Chris turned to look over his shoulder as footsteps came closer. A small smile appeared on his face when he saw Mickie enter the room, holding a small, blond-haired boy in her arms. "Mick," he muttered, completely turning to face her as she came closer. But his smile instantly vanished when she walked past him without a glance._

_His eyes narrowing slightly, Chris turned again and watched as Mickie approached the same picture he had been looking at. Sorrow crossed her features as a thin line of tears formed in her eyes, shifting the child to one arm before slowly reaching out and tracing his face lightly with her fingertip._

_"Chris," she whispered, a single tear falling from her eye. "I miss you so much."_

_Hearing her voice, the boy looked up at her before turning his attention to the picture as well. "Da!"_

_Mickie laughed a little, kissing the boy's head. "Yes, that's your dad," she muttered._

_Chris looked at his family with horror. His son only knew him through pictures. Mickie missed him. They weren't living in very good conditions, and he clearly wasn't there. What concerned him was he had no idea why he wouldn't be there with them._

_But then, his eyes widened with fear. He was dead, he just knew it. He had to be. There were no other reasons he could think of why he wouldn't be with the two people who mattered most to him. He was dead._

_"Mick, I'm right here," Chris said, hoping he could do something to let her know he was still there, even if not physically. He stepped in front of her, staring into her tear-filled eyes. It was at that moment he saw how tired she was, the light in her eyes no longer there. "Mick, please. Look at me. Mick! Mick!"_

_However, Mickie only continued to look straight through him. Chris sighed, running his hand over his face. "Come on, Mick..."_

_"Da!"_

_Chris looked back at the boy when he heard his sudden exclamation. But to his surprise, he was looking directly at him, not the picture. "Do you see me?" he asked quietly. The boy didn't say anything more, but he didn't move his blue eyes from his._

_Then, Mickie looked over her shoulder when she heard a knock on the door, forcing her tears back as she started to cross the small room. Chris sighed as he watched her retreating back, feeling a thin line of tears form in his own eyes. Why did the surgery have to be unsuccessful? Why did he have to die? Mickie and his son clearly needed him._

_Mickie opened the door, smiling and taking a couple steps back to let their visitor in. The boy smiled broadly from her arms. "Addy!"_

_"Hey, little man," Adam said with a smile of his own, stepping into the apartment with a few plastic bags. "You seem to be in good spirits today."_

_"Well, he's feeling better," Mickie replied. "His cough finally went away."_

_"Did it? Good, I'm glad." Adam shut the door behind him with his foot before taking a couple steps further into the room. "Well, I've got some stuff for you guys..."_

_Mickie smiled slightly. "Thanks, Adam," she muttered with a sigh. "I appreciate it. I just wish you didn't feel like you had to do this."_

_Adam nodded slightly. "Of course, Mickie," he told her. "And I don't feel like I have to. As long as I can help you guys a little until you get back on your feet, I will."_

_"Well, hopefully soon I'll be able to repay you," Mickie said. "In the meantime, I'll help you put this away." She turned and began to walk back across the room toward the doorframe that led into the kitchen, Adam behind her with the bags._

_But before they could get too far, the boy in Mickie's arms turned to look at where Chris was still standing near the picture on the wall and pointed. "Da!"_

_Mickie and Adam paused, looking at where the boy was gesturing. "He just sees the picture," she murmured with a sigh before they both started walking again._

_Chris watched after them until they were out of sight, the boy's eyes still on him, having to force his tears back as he looked at the picture of him and Mickie again. He hadn't realized just how bad off the woman he loved and the child were. Adam, one of his closest friends, seemed to be the provider of a lot of their needs, but also a familiar, friendly face to his son. He could see there was nothing romantic between him and Mickie, but he did almost seem to be his replacement for the boy._

_Deciding to see more, Chris walked across the living room and stood in the doorway of the kitchen. Adam and Mickie were taking canned goods and other food items out of the bags, other things such as paper towel and toilet paper in the other bags on the floor, and putting them in their proper places. "You don't have to pay me back for any of this, MIckie," Adam said, putting a gallon of milk in the refrigerator._

_"As you said, I know I don't have to, but I want to," Mickie replied, balancing the boy on her hip as she pulled a carton of eggs out of the bag and handing it to Adam to put away. "I'll be starting a part-time job soon, so I'll be able to do more."_

_Adam smiled at her. "Well, since that's the case, focus on doing more for yourself," he told her. "That would make me happier than you actually paying me anything. Okay?"_

_Mickie sighed as she looked back at him. But before she could say anything, she gasped quietly when there was a sudden loud pounding at the door. She tightened her arms around the boy, holding him close, while Adam placed his hand on her arm in a protective way when the sound continued. The boy whimpered, resting his head on Mickie's chest as he wrapped his small hand around Adam's finger._

_Chris turned to look at the door, slowly taking a couple steps closer as the pounding went on. His eyes narrowed slightly, wondering who would be trying to get in. Adam came into the living room a minute later, Mickie standing behind him and holding the boy tightly. Chris looked at them, a bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach._

_"No, don't get closer!" he shouted though he knew they wouldn't hear him, stepping in front of Adam and waving his arms. "Stay back! Get away! Adam, Mick... Please! Stop!" He wasn't surprised when his words and actions had no effect, even though the boy was looking at him curiously._

_Then, he flinched when he heard the door crash open behind him and Mickie screamed, the boy starting to cry. He saw the anger appear on Adam's face as he put his arm protectively in front of her, and Chris slowly turned around to see who had entered the apartment. His eyes widened slightly when he saw it was Shane McMahon._

_"Hello, Mickie," he said, a cruel tone to his voice as he walked closer to them._

_"Stay away from her, McMahon," Adam snapped, making sure there was distance between the other man and Mickie. "You've already done enough damage. What do you want?"_

_Chris saw the smirk appear on Shane's face, his bad feeling only growing. "Well, I want you gone for starters," the younger McMahon told him._

_Adam smirked slightly himself. "Well, too bad," he replied. "I'm not leaving Mickie while you're here."_

_Shane only laughed, the sound causing a chill to run through Chris. "That's not what I meant, Adam," he muttered._

_Snarling angrily, Adam started to take a couple steps toward Shane. Chris looked at the younger McMahon, seeing he was reaching for something in his coat. "Adam, no!" He stepped in front of his friend with his hands out to try to stop him._

_But before he knew what was happening, Chris gasped when Shane stepped through him from behind, and he was only able to watch as he raised the knife he had pulled out. Adam stopped, his eyes widening in both shock and pain as the blade sunk deeply into his chest._

_"Adam!" Chris cried, watching his friend collapse to the ground with horror. Mickie screamed, holding the boy closer to her as he continued to cry._

_"When I said gone, I meant gone," Shane said calmly, a malicious glint appearing in his eye as he watched Adam struggle to get air into his lungs. "Because then there's no one who will protect Mickie."_

_Chris knelt down next to Adam, shaking his head slightly. "Hang in there, Man, come on," he pleaded as the other man's gaze quickly started dimming. "Adam, please. Hang in there." But then, he gasped quietly when his friend's eyes seemed to meet his before they slowly closed, his head lolling limply to the side._

_Shane smirked, pulling the knife out of Adam's lifeless body before turning his attention to Mickie. Tears were streaming freely down her face as she covered the child in her arms protectively. "There, that's better," he muttered, taking a couple steps closer to her. "Now it's just us."_

_"Stay away," Mickie murmured, a sob escaping from her as she backed away from him. "Please don't..."_

_Chris quickly got to his feet, anger crossing his face as he watched the younger McMahon get closer to the woman he loved. He had no idea what he had in mind for Mickie, but he knew it wasn't going to be good. He took a couple steps closer to him, but then he paused for a minute when he saw his son. The boy was looking at him from behind the protection of Mickie's arms, reaching a small hand out to him. Chris felt his heart break as he looked back at his terrified blue eyes, slowly starting to reach his hand out toward him as well._

_Suddenly, Chris cried out when an intense pain formed in his neck and right shoulder, finding he couldn't move his arm anymore. The muscles around the base of his neck were severely cramping, one spot in his neck having no feeling at all. He dropped to his knees, the pain making him feel dizzy as he cried out again. He knew this pain well._

_But then, his eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. He had been under the impression that since he was dead, he wouldn't feel any of the pain he had felt in life. But the pain radiating from the spot in his lower neck where the pinched nerve had been was definitely real..._

_"Wait... I'm not dead," Chris muttered to himself, wincing as he doubled over because of the burning pain. "I can't be. I'm still alive somewhere. Then what..." He looked around at the small, dimly lit living room, seeing Mickie and Shane had gone into the kitchen before his gaze landed on the lifeless Adam. If he was still alive, was he still in surgery since the pain was still there?_

_"This is just my imagination," Chris tried to assure himself. "This isn't real... It can't be real..."_

_Then, he gasped when he heard Mickie's scream, and Chris bit his lip as he pushed himself to his feet. He took a couple of slow steps toward the kitchen, holding his shoulder and squinting when he saw a bright light was coming from the other room._

_"Please, wake up," he begged to himself as the pain started to fade slightly, the light becoming a little brighter. "Please... just wake up..."_

**Author's Note**: Call it a dream, an out of body experience, whatever you'd like for Chris, lol. But will he wake up is still the question. And charges were pressed and Shane will be getting what's been coming to him. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated! Thank you!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE. I also don't own the lyrics to "Against All Odds" or "Total Eclipse of the Heart." They belong to Phil Collins and Bonnie Tyler respectfully.

**Author's Note**: I can't believe we're here already, but this is the last chapter of this story! Thank you so much to **Mattaggot**, **Kenndy2006**, **QueenofQueens**, **FormerlyKnownasJackie**, **lizzy-beth-lizzy**, **devin**, **WWECenaFan**, **JVottoGurl**, **BQuinn**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **Marrymebrandon**, **KityKat-1**, and **HappyasHell **for your reviews and for your support throughout this entire story! It's much appreciated! Also, thank you to **devin** for giving me this challenge story. It was fun, and I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did! So, without further ado, here's the last chapter. How did Mickie's life turn out? Well, you're about to find out. Thanks, guys, and enjoy!

_Chapter 11_

_Fourteen months later..._

Mickie sighed as she sat down in the rocking chair near the window in the living room, running her hand through her hair and closing her eyes. It had been a long day, but a good one. She and her now six-month-old son, Cody, had met with Maria, Adam, Melina, and John for lunch to celebrate. With their busy schedules with the WWE, this was the first time they were actually able to all get together, but she didn't mind. Court proceedings usually took a long time, she knew, but she didn't realize just how long they could stretch out for. Shane McMahon's high-priced lawyers had only continued to push his court dates back and challenged the testimonies they had given, always finding some legal loophole to get him out of trouble.

_Twelve months before- Maria Kanellis_

_"I knew Shane had done something to Mickie. They had been involved before, and he wasn't happy when she broke it off. Whenever I was with her and Shane was around, he would always act like he was trying to get her to sleep with him or something. She never agreed to it since she was in a relationship. But once she started acting different, I knew something had happened. She told us what he did when we were at the hospital for a pregnancy and paternity test."_

The lawyers in Shane's corner had torn her testimony to shreds, getting out of Maria that the younger McMahon wasn't the only potential father of the child. The single account wouldn't be enough for a conviction anyway, and after a couple pushed back court dates, the trial continued on.

_Ten months before- Adam Copeland_

_"I was Chris' tag team partner in the WWE at the time. We were getting ready for our match at the pay-per-view event backstage. I left my locker room and saw Shane wrenching back Chris' arm, which I knew had been giving him problems, and pulled him away. I never actually hurt him, just told him to leave. Later that same night, I had to bring Chris to the hospital because of that arm. He couldn't move it at all."_

Their group had Adam focus more on the assault charge since he had witnessed it, but it still wasn't enough for Shane's lawyers. They brought up that Chris had previously threatened Shane, which provoked him. When Adam tried arguing he had never implied any bodily harm so it shouldn't have been an excuse for the attack, they didn't listen. They also added that Chris' shoulder had been injured for at least a month without Shane even touching it, so he couldn't be held fully responsible. The trial rolled on after some more delay.

_Eight months before- Melina Perez_

_"I admit I was involved with Shane for a little while. Not something I would do again. But when he told me what he had done to Mickie, I got out of it. I was done. I don't know how much clearer I could have been. Soon after, I got back with John, my ex-boyfriend. The day of the pay-per-view event, Shane got a hold of me and said he wanted to meet about my title defense. I didn't think anything of it, so I went to his hotel room. And... he tried to force himself on me. He got a phone call, and I left. I still have the record on my cell phone from when I called John for help. You can see his phone as well."_

Melina's testimony had gotten a little more attention since something had almost happened to her, but the lawyers continued to find ways around it. They blamed her for getting herself in that situation since she had gone to Shane's room, and they had also brought up her attack on him after when he had never actually done anything to her. The trial moved forward.

_Six months before- John Hennigan_

_"I do have the record on my phone from the day of the pay-per-view event when Melina called me after Shane attempted to rape her. I got there after she had taken care of the situation herself and told him I would press charges if he got near her again._

_"As for the assault on Chris, yes, I did see it. It was what Adam described- Shane attacked him without any warning. Chris was just walking, he hadn't done anything. Shane was just angry that he had been fired. I know this because I_ _talked to Vince McMahon, his father and chairman of the WWE, about what he had done to Mickie, my ex-girlfriend. I would have separated them, but Adam got there first. Chris never fought back, nor did Adam._

_"And Mickie. We had been together for a year before we broke up. Yes, it was because our relationship was rocky, but that doesn't mean I couldn't help her. When she told us about Shane, I decided to talk to Vince so something could be done."_

John had been one of their most crucial witnesses since he was somehow involved with all three of the charges against the younger McMahon. But just like the other testimonies, Shane's lawyers picked his words apart, using a lot of the same arguments as they had with previous accounts. They also included John's anger at the situation and with Mickie, leading to possible clouding of judgment. With only one testament left, they managed to push the next trial date back a little more.

_Four months before- Mickie James_

_"Before I was in my relationship with John, I was having a fling with Shane. I'm not proud of it. He couldn't let it go once I was through. And though I had kept telling him I was done and refused any advances he made, he forced himself on me one night against my will. Shortly after, I found out I was pregnant, afraid he may have been the father. He told his father about this, costing me my job so he wouldn't have to worry about being found out in case the child was his. He saved his skin until John said something to Vince. The only mistake about the situation with Shane I made was I didn't say something sooner."_

Her testimony had been the most personal, the one that would really help to sway the jury's decision. But Shane's lawyers hadn't made it easy on her, bringing up like in response to Maria's account that Shane hadn't been the only potential father. They added Mickie had also made the mistake of sleeping with Chris, who had turned out to be the one the child belonged to.

The trial stretched on for about another month after that, leaving time for both sides to leave their closing arguments. Mickie had stayed in constant contact with her friends who had testified with her, only able to nervously wait for the decision of the jury as they reviewed the evidence on Shane's fate. Since the younger McMahon had such high-priced lawyers who had certainly tainted the case their way, she hadn't been expecting the results they had gotten.

_Account of rape- guilty_

_Account of attempted rape- guilty_

_Account of assault- guilty_

Shane McMahon would be going to prison. Mickie remembered how relieved she had been when Shane got convicted on all accounts a couple of weeks before, knowing the nightmare of what he had put her and everyone else through was truly over. She just wished Chris could have shared in their victory.

_"Take a good look at me now_

_Cause I'll still be standing here_

_And you coming back to me is against all odds_

_It's the chance I've gotta take..."_

Mickie slowly opened her eyes. The past couple of weeks had been more relaxing and enjoyable than what she had felt in a long time. It had been only her and her young son, not a care in the world. She turned to look at the wall of pictures next to her, smiling slightly when she looked at her favorite picture of her and Cody, both of them grinning broadly. Her eyes then moved to the one next to it, looking at the picture she had of her and Chris since she had first joined WWE. They both looked so happy and carefree, much different than her life had been recently.

"We got him, Chris," she whispered, her smile slowly vanishing. "We got him."

_"You're the only one who really knew me at all..."_

Then, Mickie gasped and quickly looked to her left when she heard a loud sound, a smile appearing on her face. Cody was sitting on the floor in front of Chris' old guitar, running his small hands over the strings a second time. He then glanced back at Mickie, a broad grin spreading across his face as he laughed. Her smile lingering, Mickie got to her feet and crossed the room before sitting on the floor next to him, running her hand through Cody's blond hair as he continued to strum the instrument.

"You really are my mini Chris," she muttered thoughtfully. Aside from loving that guitar, his hair and striking blue eyes were very similar to Chris'. He looked so much like his father.

Cody looked back at her, holding his arms out to her. Mickie pulled him close before getting to her feet, kissing the side of his head as he snuggled into her chest. "Tired, Cody?" she asked, knowing the answer already.

"Ma," Cody mumbled through a yawn.

Mickie smiled, wrapping her arms around her son tightly as she headed for the staircase. "Time for bed then, little man." She made her way up to the second floor and walked down the hallway to the door second from the end. She entered the room, immediately going to the crib set up in the middle and setting Cody down. Before long, she had him changed into his pajamas and ready for bed.

"There you go. All set," Mickie said, smiling when the young boy held her finger tightly.

Cody looked at her for a moment before whimpering and pointing at something across the room with his free hand. Mickie glanced in the same direction, knowing what he wanted. She kissed his hand as she pulled her finger from his grasp, walking across the room to the small bookshelf with a stereo sitting on top if it. She picked up a CD without a cover and pulled it out of its protective sheet, her gaze faltering slightly when the small slip of paper that went along with it fell out. On it was a simple but heartfelt message.

_To Mick, my best friend. Forever and always. Love, Chris._

Love, Chris. It was those last two words that stood out to her the most. Mickie sighed as she put the demo copy of Chris' band's new album into the stereo, something he had given to her before her life changed forever.

"You want to hear your dad tonight, huh?" Mickie asked with a small smile, turning to look at where Cody was sitting in his crib.

A grin appeared on Cody's face when he heard the opening words of the first track. "Da!" he exclaimed.

Mickie laughed a little as she walked back over to him, kissing his head before laying him down and covering him with the blanket. "Goodnight, sweetheart," she murmured, running her hand up and down his back.

Cody began to relax at her touch, his blue eyes slowly closing as he grasped his blanket tightly in his small hand. She stood by his crib for a few minutes, simply watching her son sleep. She thought about everything that had happened to her, how much of a nightmare her life had been when she discovered she was pregnant. But as she looked at the small boy before her, she also knew she couldn't be happier. Despite all the stress, Cody was a blessing to her, and she loved him with all her heart. She was so glad to have him.

Once she was sure he would stay asleep, Mickie crossed the room, glancing at her son one more time before shutting off the light. She walked to the door across the hall at the end and entered her room, changing into her tank top and shorts for sleeping before she fell onto the bed and closed her eyes. She was exhausted as well since Cody hadn't been sleeping through the night lately. It was only going to be a matter of time before he was awake again. Sighing, Mickie turned to look at the picture of her and Chris she kept on the nightstand close to the bed, his smiling face the last thing she saw before she slowly drifted off into sleep.

She wasn't sure how long she was lying on the bed, but Mickie slowly opened her eyes when she heard crying coming from across the hall. She took a deep breath as she sat up, rubbing her tired eyes as she looked at the alarm clock next to her. Judging by the glowing green numbers, she had been asleep for a couple of hours, though it didn't feel like it. She also couldn't hear the CD playing anymore, which was what she assumed had woken Cody. Stretching a little as she got to her feet, Mickie yawned again as she left the room and headed toward her son's.

But then, she stopped for a moment when she heard a gentle voice float out into the hallway.

"And I need you now tonight, and I need you more than ever, and if you only hold me tight, we'll be holding on forever..."

Mickie's eyes narrowed slightly with confusion as she slowly walked forward and stopped in the doorway, leaning against it as she gazed into the dark room.

"... I really need you tonight, forever's going to start tonight..."

Chris was standing next to Cody's crib, holding him as he quietly sang to him. In the moonlight sneaking into the room, Mickie could see their son was content in his father's arms, eyes closed with his head resting on his chest.

"There's nothing I can do, total eclipse of the heart..." Chris finished the song, smiling slightly as he looked down on the now sleeping Cody. He lightly kissed his head before setting him back in his crib and covering him up, walking over to the stereo and restarting the CD to hopefully keep the boy from waking up again for a while. He then turned to leave the room, pausing with surprise when he saw Mickie leaning against the doorway, watching him with a smile.

"Oh, hey, Mick."

"When did you get home?" Mickie asked quietly, her smile lingering.

Chris returned it. "Just now," he answered, slipping his black coat off and putting it over one arm before crossing the room and wrapping his free one around her waist. "Heard the little man fussing, so I came to see what I could do."

Mickie leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. "Well, nice song choice," she muttered, laughing a little when he kissed her head. Memories from when she sang that same song with Chris at the bar came back to her, that night seeming so far away.

"Thought you'd like it," Chris replied, glancing back at Cody to make sure he was still sleeping before leading Mickie out of the room. They crossed the hallway into theirs, Chris dropping his coat over the chair by the door before sitting on the bed. Mickie sat next to him, winding her arms around him as he pulled her close.

"So, how did wrestling down in FCW go?" she wondered, looking at him curiously. "Everything okay with your shoulder?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah, my shoulder was fine," he told her, moving it around a bit for emphasis. "No pain, no stiffness. Think I got my rid of my ring rust over the past couple weeks wrestling there. They want me back in WWE next week to start a feud with Adam."

Mickie smiled broadly. "That's great!" she said excitedly. "I know how much you've been wanting to get back there."

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it," Chris agreed, his smile mirroring hers. "And working with Adam is always fun. I couldn't ask for a better way to go back." He paused for a minute. "Going to that rehab program after the surgery really helped a lot."

Sighing, Mickie ran her fingers lightly over Chris' cheek. "I'm just thankful the surgery went well. It easily couldn't have..."

Chris placed his finger on Mickie's lips to stop her. "It did, and that's all that matters," he replied. "I promised you I would be there, remember? I had no intention of not making it through that procedure. And now look. Next week, I'll be back in the WWE ring. I never would have gotten back there if I hadn't gotten that surgery. And I'm here with the two most important people in my life. I wouldn't have been able to just hold my own son if I hadn't gotten that procedure done, Mick. Nothing matters to me more than that."

Mickie looked back at him for a long moment, a thin line of tears in her eyes as she smiled. "Yeah, I know it was for the best." She placed her hand lightly on the shoulder that had once given Chris so much trouble. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mick," Chris muttered, leaning forward and catching her lips in a soft kiss. He pulled her closer when Mickie wrapped her arms around his neck as she returned it with more intensity.

"Da!"

Mickie laughed as she pulled away, hearing Cody calling out. "You're being summoned," she said, grinning. "He missed you while you were gone."

"I can tell." Chris laughed a little as well as he got to his feet. "I missed him too. I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay, sweetheart." Mickie shook her head slightly, her smile lingering as Chris left the room to check on their son before she laid down and stared up at the dark ceiling. She was glad he was home too, even though she was happy for him since he was able to do what he loved again. After everything they both went through, she was grateful for the family she now had. Shane McMahon may have almost ruined her life and nearly took away the man she loved, but she still had Chris and their son, and that was what mattered to her. He hadn't been able to take away the most important people in her life.

Chris came back into the room a little while later, smiling when he saw Mickie had dozed off lying on her pillow while she waited for him. He changed into his shorts for sleeping and climbed into bed next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer. Mickie acknowledged he was there as she snuggled close, but didn't fully wake up.

He wasn't sure how long he laid awake, absently running his hand up and down her back as he simply watched her. She looked so different when she was asleep, all evidence of what had happened to her lost in her tranquil expression. Chris knew it was going to take time to get over what Shane had done, the stress of being pregnant without knowing who the father was, and the possibility he wouldn't survive the surgery he had to get done, but he knew it would only get easier since he was still with her and they had their blessing in the form of Cody.

Though he wasn't able to be present for it due to the recovery process for his injury, Chris had kept in contact with Mickie and Adam every step of the way over the course of the trial while he was in the rehab program for his shoulder, feeling discouraged when he heard about what Shane's lawyers had pulled. He hadn't wanted to go to FCW until everything was done, only leaving for the squared circle when he heard the younger McMahon had gotten the guilty conviction on all charges.

It was finally over. He and Mickie could now focus on raising their son and spending the rest of their lives together.

"... Chris..."

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Mickie murmur his name in her sleep, and Chris smiled as he lightly kissed her forehead. "I'm right here, Mick," he whispered to her, watching a shadow of a smile appear at the corner of her mouth before he closed his eyes. "And I always will be."

**The End**

**Author's Note**: Just a fun little note, Cody Irvine didn't have a name for the longest time. He was always known as "Mini Chris," hence the line where Mickie says that. And everything's how it should be! So, it's a happy ending. If interested, I'll be putting a list of upcoming stories toward the top of my profile shortly. Thanks again for reading this, guys! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


End file.
